A disturbing case of high school violence has school officials talking in Chester Basin, N.S. Of particular concern is the number of people who watched the fight, and the hundreds more who watched it online.
Students at Forest Heights Community School say two girls who used to be good friends started the fight across from the school the morning before classes started.
A number of students stood by and watched the fight while others recorded it. Some even posted the video to YouTube.
“I seen it happen, and on YouTube,” admitted one student.
The altercation didn’t take place on school property, but school officials are treating it as such.
The fight took place close to the school at a popular student hangout.
“It was shocking to see, but I wouldn’t say surprising,” says one student.
The school board says the students involved in the fight have been dealt with, though they wouldn’t elaborate on the specific details of the punishment.
However, they did say students are generally suspended when they become involved in a physical altercation.
RCMP are also investigating the incident but say it’s too early to determine whether charges will be laid.
School officials are especially concerned about the number of people who watched the event, and even cheered the girls on.
“Everyone does that whenever there’s a fight,” one students tells CTV News. “They all stand around.”
Coincidentally, the fight took place the day before Pink Shirt Day, an anti-bullying initiative across Nova Scotia schools.
“Once the situation is dealt with there will be lots of teachable moments as we continue to work with students around the importance of student safety, about the importance of students looking out for each other and caring for each other everyday of the year, not just on one certain day,” says Nancy Pynch-Worthylake, superintendant of the South Shore Regional School Board.
The chair of Nova Scotia’s anti-bullying task force says the incident may not be a case of bullying, but it’s still a case of violence, and he’s concerned about the speed with which it spread on social media.
“It’s not just that single incident which would have been witnessed by a dozen or so people,” says Wayne MacKay. “But it’s now on YouTube and all these people have seen it. It’s the impact, is so much greater.”
The video had nearly 900 views before it was removed from YouTube Monday afternoon.
The school is now trying to determine who posted the video in the first place. They aren’t certain whether that person is also a student, but they say there could be consequences for that person as well.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
