The community at Bay View High School in Upper Tantallon, N.S., has come together after the school’s pride flag was burned on Friday afternoon.
Cpl. Chris Marshall, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP, said in an interview that police were called about 2:45 Friday afternoon after a pride flag had been taken down inside the school, brought outside and lit on fire.
The school is situated in a suburb roughly 30 kilometres west of Halifax at the start of Nova Scotia’s South Shore. In addition to Tantallon, the school also serves Beechville, Lakeside, Timberlea and a number of communities along Peggy’s Cove Road.
Ella McKinnon and Kate Ross are two students at Bay View.
“It was a surprise, because we know that our school is really accepting,” McKinnon said.
Both students spoke to Global News about how the school has come together following the incident.
“I feel like the school is being really good with it… There’s people with pride flags everywhere now,” Ross said.
On Monday, a sign along Hammonds Plains Road in front of the school had the message “Love Wins.” The same was written in chalk in front of the school’s entrance.
Community showing support
McKinnon said that she also saw many students wearing rainbow colours to school on Monday.
“It’s good that everyone’s talking about it and being aware that it’s not okay,” McKinnon said.
It’s not just students that are supporting the community. Otis Daye is the student equity consultant for HRCE and was present at Bay View on Monday.
“There’s a number of staff here that are showing support, they’ve got different pieces of clothing on just to show and say their support. There’s a lot of work happening with small groups of students to make sure that they feel really comfortable,” Daye said.
Daye said he has been working with staff, student council, and the gender sexuality alliance club to plan how the school will move forward. Safety is the number one concern, but that also includes the “social and emotional” safety of students, Daye said.
He said that all students should both see themselves reflected at school, being able to come into the building and know that they can express themselves in the way they’d like without fear of harm. He said that unfortunately issues of discrimination are not limited to any one school.
“This isn’t a Bay View issue, this is an issue that’s impacting our society across the globe,” Daye said.
Next steps
Marshall said that the RCMP investigation is ongoing and called the incident “hate-motivated mischief.” He said that the RCMP will likely determine the direction of the investigation and if charges will be filed “within a few days.”
Lindsey Bunin, a spokesperson for HRCE said in an email statement to Global News that those involved with the incident have “received appropriate consequences” but that HRCE does not share these consequences publicly due to privacy concerns.
“Anyone who endangers the well-being of others, damages property or significantly disrupts the learning environment receives immediate and appropriate consequences for their actions,” Bunin said.
Under the Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy, discipline around suspension of students is determined by the school’s principal.
Bay View Principal Dunovan Kalberlah sent an email to the school on Friday, calling the incident an “act of discrimination against members of our school community,” saying it was unacceptable and that he is “deeply troubled” by what happened.
Kalberlah mentioned the RCMP investigation and spoke to steps the school will take this week for consultation with students, staff, and community groups.
“Right now, our focus is on ensuring that we repair the harm that has been caused to our students and community,” Kalberlah said in the email.
‘Where are the role models?’
Pam Lovelace, councillor for District 13, which includes Upper Tantallon, said that homophobic and transphobic actions and behaviours have no place in society.
“My first response was where are the role models for the children who are doing this act?” Lovelace said in an interview with Global News.
Lovelace said that while school officials should look into why this incident took place, she also questions: “How is it that kids these days don’t understand we live in an inclusive society where everyone needs to feel welcome and safe?”
Calling this an “isolated incident,” Lovelace said this does not reflect the wider community in her district or Halifax.
She was happy to hear about students wearing supportive shirts on Monday, “ensuring that everyone understands that what was done is completely unacceptable and we will not tolerate violence against trans or queer kids at all.”