Calgary students say sex assault allegations have gone ‘unheard’ by school administration
Posted Nov 16, 2021 12:06 pm.
Last Updated Nov 16, 2021 12:13 pm.
Calgary students at Western Canada High School are taking their concerns about consent to the public because they feel unheard by the school’s administration.
The students walked out of class Tuesday morning to draw attention to “multiple” allegations of sexual abuse at the school.
These are the voices of high school students at Western Canada. #yyc
They walked out of class this morning to bring attention to allegations of sexual assault they say aren’t being taken seriously by school staff.
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— Stefanie Lasuik (@StefanieLasuik) November 16, 2021
“A lot of people have come forward to the administrative team with their stories, trying to find those resources to get help and I think that we’ve just been disappointed and we’ve left these meetings feeling very unheard and very isolated,” shared Eliza Kalinowsky.
“[Sexual assault] really destroys what you thought you knew about yourself. And it really can show you how easy it is to ruin those grades that you worked so hard for. It really consumes your entire day and it is really damaging.”
They didn’t go into specific details, but say allegations have left them feeling unsafe at school. They couldn’t comment on whether police are involved.
“It’s hard enough to speak up about this stuff and when it’s ignored, it’s really hurtful and it makes us feel like it’s not valid and this is how people stop speaking up,” student Giovanna Ferri told CityNews.
“They ask us why we don’t speak up, why we didn’t say that it happened. It’s because we get ignored until it turns into something like this. So we’re hoping that this will be enough to make some change and for them to listen to us.”
Students that walked out are also calling on schools to make sure consent is taught in health classes.
“We don’t feel that we are being educated enough. Especially since sex education is a huge part of teenage life, obviously. And we think that consent and teaching consent is obviously very important because clearly, it’s not being taught enough,” said Kalinowsky.
Western’s administration referred CityNews to The Calgary Board of Education, which says it’s aware of the allegations and student safety is the CBE’s priority.
“The CBE has a process for working with families and students to address concerns and reports of this nature. We take these matters seriously and where required, we also support students and families to work with CPS,” the board said in a statement to CityNews.
“The CBE has clear and strong expectations for all members of our school communities to support welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning and work environments.”
