Dear Parents and Guardians:
This week, in addition to the many positive announcements, including those
regarding Fine Arts and Athletics, I am sorry to be reporting to you about
something negative - the pepper spray incident that occurred at lunch time last
Tuesday. Unfortunately, two of our younger students sprayed pepper spray in
the cafeteria and technical studies areas of the school. Although no one was
directly targeted by the spraying, many students and staff were affected by the
spray being in the air and some required first aid attention.
There are several silver linings to this incident:
?Ms. xxx, our First Aid attendant, provided excellent care for those
who needed immediate assistance. Many other staff members also helped out and
ensured that everything possible was done to restore student safety.
?Staff and students cooperated to evacuate the building in a safe and
efficient manner so that we could limit everyone's exposure to the pepper spray.
?With staff and student support, we were able to identify the students
responsible and take appropriate action - it is clear that this sort of
behaviour is not acceptable within the xxx community.
Parents of those students most directly affected were contacted on Tuesday
afternoon and we have been assured that the main symptoms of pepper spray
exposure dissipate within 30 to 60 minutes and there are no long term effects.
We hope that this sort of event will not occur again and we are grateful for
the professional response of our staff and the cooperation of our students.