Administrators at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute in Toronto unveiled a memorial plaque and named the school’s gym after a former student who drowned during a field trip to Algonquin Park last year.
Jeremiah Perry was swimming with a group of classmates at Big Trout Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park on the evening of July 4, 2017, when he went underwater and did not resurface. Search and rescue crews located his body the following day.
The 15-year-old student was taking part in a week-long field trip with 32 other students.
In a ceremony at the school on Friday, Perry’s mother said her son’s death is still fresh on her mind but is thankful for the support her family has received.
“After someone died, people that left behind are tasked with carrying on with their lives. It is important to pay a tribute to our loved ones we have lost,” Melissa Perry said.
“Everyone is celebrating Jeremiahs’s life, by naming the C.W. Jefferies school gym in his name to help keep his memory alive. Jeremiah’s footprints will always be in this place to remember and honour him.”
Toronto District School Board officials said Perry was one of 15 students who failed a swim test but was still allowed to take part in the excursion.
The board conducted a review of its practices and laid out new rules for trips following Perry’s death.
Following a year-long investigation, Ontario Provincial Police charged a 54-year-old teacher at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate with one count of criminal negligence causing death.
The man, identified as Nicholas Mills of Caledon, Ont., was also an outdoor activities program co-ordinator at the school.
The school board’s internal investigation, which was temporarily halted during the police probe, suggested that some of the students didn’t even know whether they passed or failed the swim test, which involved rolling out of a canoe, treading in water for a minute, and swimming 50 metres without a life-jacket.
Board officials said their swim policy has since been strengthened. Those measures include the principal reviewing the proper documentation and passed tests prior to trips, and that students and their parents are given the results.
“At the Toronto District School Board, in light of this, we’ve also worked really hard to strengthen safety across our system and to ensure that we can avoid any tragedy like this again. But we continue to remain deeply sorry,” TDSB director of education John Malloy said.
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