Violence in Quebec schools has parents concerned, wanting action

After a week of violence in Quebec schools, leaving at least three students and one teacher injured, many say action is needed to improve safety.

One such incident includes a brawl last Friday between more than 100 students at École Secondaire Antoine-Brossard on the South Shore.

Longueuil police (SPAL) were called to the scene and quickly worked to disperse the students.

One student was hospitalized after perfume was sprayed in her eyes.

In another incident, a 13-year-old student allegedly assaulted a 65-year-old teacher with a chair at a Laval-area school.

Earlier this week, a video of a student being beaten went viral, with police saying the boy suffered broken teeth, possibly a fractured jaw and a concussion.

Both French and English-language parents' committees are now demanding the Quebec government do something to increase resources for students.

"There has to be a targetted approach. There has to be some measures put in place that are not just punitive," said Katherine Korakakis, president of the English Parents Committee Association. "Schools cannot become prisons. That's not the purpose of school, but there has to be something more than just, 'I'll take your phone away' or "I'll call the police.'"

Corinne Payne, director general of the Fédération des comités de parents du Québec, says it's about time educators started listening to students.

"There's a group of girls in Montreal who, for the last five or six years, have been asking that there are policies put in place concerning sexual violence," she said. "The children have been asking us to do this for five, six years, but nobody's listening to them."

In a response to CTV News on Friday, a spokesperson for Education Minister Bernard Drainville said the government is working on a policy to reduce intimidation and violence in Quebec schools, but there is no timeline on when that will take effect.