CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — All of the students involved in a brawl last week outside their Charlottetown high school have returned to class still facing the possibility of criminal charges.
Tim Keizer, resource officer at Colonel Gray high school, says no charges have been laid yet but police are still investigating the incident.
Keizer says about six students, ages 16 to 18, were directly involved in a brawl that took place in the Colonel Gray parking lot on Tuesday, Oct. 8 before classes began.
He says no one was seriously injured in a brawl that lasted only about 30 seconds.
He says some students could be charged with causing a disturbance by fighting.
“There’s going to be consequences for individuals involved in this,’’ says Keizer.
“We can’t have that happen on school property.’’
Colonel Gray principal Dominique Lecours says some students were suspended three to five days for their part in the brawl, but she did not want to say how many students were suspended.
She says students involved in the fight say the brawl was sparked by students infringing on other students’ space and had nothing to do with race or ethnicity – just a conflict between students.
Meetings have been held with students involved in the brawl, their parents, Lecours, and a youth worker among others.
“It was a positive outcome,’’ says Keizer, adding students were taking responsibility for their actions.
Lecours says an emphasis is being placed on conflict resolution to move forward from the brawl.
“I think moving forward we want to use the leadership of our students and the whole student body to create a positive atmosphere at the school,’’ she says.
“We are there to support them in using those leadership skills to make the school a more positive community.’’
'Handled poorly'
However, at least one parent is far from satisfied with how the school has responded to the brawl.
She says her son, a Grade 11 student, was suspended for three days for defending himself when he was attacked by a student with a set of keys attached to cord.
She adds the principal and others at Colonel Gray seemed preoccupied with protecting the image of the school, rather than dealing effectively with the incident.
“This was handled poorly,’’ she says.
“It continues to be handled poorly…it’s not really a great experience.’’