Alleged abuse of this type very rare

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This article was published 16/04/2010 (5668 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE allegations at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School are pretty much off the charts for the 50,000 students who board at 300 of the top elite private schools in North America.

"Criminal charges being brought against students is very unusual," said Pete Upham, executive director of the Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) from Asheville, N.C. "If what’s alleged took place, it’s awful."

Upham said that while private boarding schools have zero tolerance for hazing or bullying, he could not recall any cases in recent years in Canada or the U.S. that involved allegations and charges as serious as those at SJR.

Both SJR and Winnipeg’s Balmoral Hall School for girls are members of TABS. "There’s no such thing as perfect security. When you’re working with young people, there’s no absolute fail-safe way of preventing bad behaviour," Upham said.

Upham said boarding schools typically have two students per room, generally of the same age, if possible. There is both adult supervision on-site as well as senior students serving as proctors or prefects.

Schools vary from one supervising adult per three or four boarding students, to a maximum of about one per 30 students. These adults are often professionals who teach and/or coach at the school.

"Faculty and other adults live in the dormitories and directly supervise the dormitories," he said. "The standard practice is that primary on-site supervision would be by qualified staff."

An apartment-like residence would likely have an adult living on each floor, while a house-like residence would have a living unit set aside for the adult supervisor. Student proctors are there to help and to develop student leadership, but they are clearly to assist adults, not be in charge, Upham said.

Upham said he worked in private boarding schools for 12 years, living in the dorm. "There was a team approach," he said. Upham or another adult would set up a desk in the hallway until the dorm was locked up for the night, checking in on students and ensuring there were no problems.

Adult supervisors would carry cellphones for emergencies, and students could come to their rooms to get help at any hour of the night, he said.

The TABS website says such schools provide among the best educations in North America, attracting students more interested in working hard than the average student.

TABS considers boarding schools "college preparatory" schools — experiences that better prepare students to go on to post-secondary, and treat students as young adults.

Balmoral Hall School officials did not respond to interview requests about the school’s boarding practices and policies.

The Ontario-based Canadian Association of Independent Schools, to which SJR belongs, did not respond to an interview request.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca