Parents speak out after disturbing incident at north Edmonton elementary school

EDMONTON – Parents are voicing their concerns after a man reportedly entered a north Edmonton elementary school on Tuesday, and approached a Grade One student in the washroom.

Police say the boy may have been inappropriately touched during the alleged incident at Evansdale Elementary School, which is in the area of 93 St. and 150 Ave.

“It’s very scary, especially for my son. My son is blind, so he always has a teacher on his side. So when something like this happens, it scares us a lot,” said one parent, Gus Fayad. “It’s a good wake up call for all the schools here.” 

Police were called to the Evansdale school Tuesday morning, after being contacted by staff. So far, they have been unable to identify or find the suspect. As the search for him continues, schools in the area have notified parents of the incident.

Some say the situation is eerily similar to what happened in 2006 when a Grade Two student was in the bathroom at Oliver school, and a man hiding in one of the stalls assaulted her before running away.

In response to that incident, both school systems reviewed their security measures and made changes were to school policy, including a rule requiring children to take a fellow student with them when using the washroom.

“We encourage all elementary schools to be locked tight,” Jane Sterling, spokesperson for Edmonton Public School District, added. “That said there are some schools that leave their front doors open.”

Parents Global News spoke to said the front doors of Evansdale Elementary used to be open; on Thursday morning, they were locked.

“It looks like they’re doing everything right now. The doors are locked now. But they should’ve been locked in the first place, I think, so the situation wouldn’t have happened in the first place,” said parent Duska Pardo.

A security consultant is now conducting an audit of the school.

“If we learn something from what happened at Evansdale School that could enhance the security at other schools, that certainly would be shared with them and encouraged by them,” Sterling said.

Lori Nagy, spokesperson for Edmonton Catholic Schools, says her school division is “very concerned about the incident at Evansdale because it could affect any school in the city.”

A letter has been sent home with Catholic school students on the city’s north end, informing parents of the situation.

Nagy says principals are reviewing security, and teachers have been asked to be extra vigilant.

“It is concerning that this individual entered a school and approached a child, and we want to ensure that this individual does not return to this school or another.”

The disturbing incident has many parents on edge.

Cheryl Varga says she had to have a difficult talk with her two sons Monday night.

“They were very nervous. We told them you do not go to the bathroom unless you have a partner with you.”

The suspect is described as an older Caucasian male, balding with grey hair, approximately 5’4″ to 5’8″ tall, and wearing darker clothing and shoes.

This is the letter that was sent home to parents of Evansdale students on Wednesday:

Dear parents and guardians:

I wanted to update you on the situation involving one of our Grade 1 students you learned about yesterday.

Earlier this afternoon, the Edmonton Police Service shared information with the media, telling them that yesterday morning, the student was approached by a stranger in the boy’s washroom and may have been inappropriately touched.

The Child Protection Section of the police continues to investigate and try to locate the adult male involved. They have followed-up with our staff at the school and we are also working with other schools in the neighbourhood to notify them of the incident and ask for their help in searching for the man.

I want to reinforce to you that the safety of your children is our number one priority. Evansdale staff and I are doing everything we can to help the police in their investigation and we ask you to be attentive and report any suspicious individuals or activities you may see.

Today teachers have been talking to students about safety and we have trained staff available to speak to children who may appear anxious to provide support if needed.

The police have released a description of the suspect. He is described as an older Caucasian male, balding with grey hair, approximately 5’4” to 5’8” tall, and wearing darker clothing and shoes.

As I mentioned in my letter from yesterday, please take the time to remind your children of the importance of telling a member of the staff if they see a stranger in the school. I know this is very upsetting information and assure you we will be reviewing our school’s security practices to see if there is anything we can learn from this terrible incident.

Yours sincerely,

Sheila Tingley, Principal

***

The principal of École Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc, located at 85 Ave. and 68A St., also sent out a letter to parents Wednesday about two incidents around that school.

Below is a translation:

Parents, this is to inform you about two incidents around the school yard. The first took place January 17. There was a couple… the woman had a parrot on her arm and her husband appeared to be taking pictures. The school supervisor on site immediately went to them took their licence plate and told me (the principal). Police were contacted and with the plate, the couple was identified right away.

The second incident took place on January 20th. A man in a red and black truck was near the fence and was also taking photos. The supervisor on site approached him and he immediately left. A report was once again made with police.

Please know we are taking all possible measures to make sure your children are safe in the school yard. We are very vigilant. Please reassure your children that those two incidents have been dealt with. 

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