Sturgeon Heights student facing charges after school staffer attacked, windows smashed

A teenage boy faces charges of assaulting a staff member at a city high school, the Free Press has learned.

Winnipeg police were called to Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate to respond to a “threats-related matter involving a student” just before 2:30 p.m. Monday.

School administration alerted families about the situation, which sparked a brief lockdown, via mass email about 30 minutes later.

A source confirmed it began with a physical assault on an employee.

The underage suspect was removed from the building after attacking an adult, and later returned with a hammer, smashing school windows, the source said.

They said the teen also vandalized at least one employee’s vehicle in the parking lot.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Pat Saydak said the incident involved a male student, who was arrested, and staff members.

Saydak said no one required medical attention, but confirmed the teen is facing several assault charges that have not yet been formally laid.

St. James-Assiniboia School Division spokeswoman Michelle Lancaster said senior staff weren’t available to respond to questions from the Free Press Wednesday, but provided a letter she said was sent to Sturgeon Heights parents Tuesday by the school’s administration.

“A student exhibited escalated behaviours, resulting in property damage and physical aggression toward a staff member. Our staff responded immediately and appropriately, and the student left the school,” read the letter.

“Actions were taken to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”

The letter said the school was initially placed on lockdown, which was turned into a “hold-and-secure” once officials confirmed there was no imminent threat inside the building.

Lockdowns require external doors to be locked. Students and staff members are to flee hallways to hide inside locked classrooms with the lights turned off.

Measures are loosened under a hold-and-secure, when normal operations can resume indoors but doors remain locked.

School administration said in the letter they understand such “incidents can be upsetting” and that support staff are available to students, as needed.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society has repeatedly identified student-on-staff violence as one of its top workplace concerns over the last year.

Union president Nathan Martindale said teacher-welfare employees are fielding frequent calls about these events and MTS is gearing up to launch a working group on the subject.

“We’re not only losing good teachers in (their) first five years of the profession, but it’s also contributing to the recruitment problem,” said Martindale, who represents upwards of 16,600 teachers working in public schools.

He said it’s important that educators report incidents to their employers, who are responsible for protecting them.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca