Father charged after alleged bullying incident at Quebec school
A father has been charged with assault and uttering threats after he allegedly went after his son's apparent bully in a confrontation outside a high school about 80 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
The incident has drawn the attention of Quebec's education minister who said he wants answers after the altercation involving multiple students was caught on video. Meanwhile, parents say the École Pierre-De-Lestage in Berthierville, Que. is known to have frequent fights.
The video shows at least three high school students, including one who pushes a boy over while yelling at him. The boy gets up but the story doesn't end there.
In a second video, the father of the boy who appears to be bullied confronts the youth and yells that he'll put them in the ground if they touch his son again. The exchange ends with one of the students appearing to be pushed into the snow.
Parents of children who attend the school say the torment has become too common.
"I'm fed up. I'm really fed up," said Sophie Girard, whose 16-year-old daughter was bullied so badly that she said she contemplated taking her own life last year.
"Every day, she's told to go kill herself," the mother said. "She got a message at the beginning of the year with a picture of her sitting in class from behind and it said by the end of the year I'll send you to the hospital."
Education Minister Bernard Drainville said he was "very troubled" by the incident and has asked the school's service centre to look into the matter.
"Very, very saddened. And I want to know what happened," Drainville said Wednesday.
He said that since 2006, every school is supposed to have an anti-bullying and anti-violence plan.
While the minister said the first video is upsetting, "We must also say that we cannot condone in any way, shape or form a parent who decides to make justice himself."
The Centre multiservice des Samares didn't respond to an interview request on Wednesday.
Parents say there are often fights at the school and accuse staff of not intervening.
"I went and picked up my daughter from school and I had to get involved because no one was bothering to step in," said Girard, adding that when punishments are given out, they aren't severe enough.
Her daughter missed so many classes to get away from tormentors that she had to repeat the 8th grade.
"Parents have reached that point of frustration," she said, adding that they are trying to protect their children.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
Balancing act: Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO juggles Arctic airline challenges
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.