Mom of teen fatally stabbed at school files suit

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This article was published 03/06/2017 (3077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Education officials should have done more to protect a Winnipeg teen who was fatally stabbed on school property two years ago, his mother is arguing in a lawsuit filed in court.

Jamie Bourne is suing the Winnipeg School Division and Kelvin High School on behalf of her 17-year-old son, Brett Bourne, who was killed during a lunch-hour visit to the school on June 2, 2015. Bourne, who was a former Kelvin student, was stabbed by another 17-year-old boy who was attending the school at the time. The stabbing happened after a separate fight between Brett and a different boy, a 16-year-old Kelvin student.

The Bourne family argues the school should have prevented the 17-year-old accused from taking a knife to school, monitored security cameras and intervened after the first altercation to prevent the violence from escalating. The lawsuit says Kelvin High and the school division didn’t properly supervise students and failed “to take reasonable steps to address an existing and known problem respecting the use of drugs and violence at the school.”

A spokeswoman for the WSD said Friday she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit or on whether Brett’s death led to any policy changes at the high school or school division level.

“Our deepest sympathies are with Ms. Bourne and her family, and because the statement of claim is currently before the courts, we won’t be making any additional comments on it,” Radean Carter said.

The statement of claim, filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench May 31, also seeks compensation from the accused and his mother. The accused, who can’t be identified under a provision of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is still awaiting trial on a charge of second-degree murder. The Bournes allege in the lawsuit that his mother conspired with him to cover up the stabbing.

The civil claim is separate from the ongoing criminal process and seeks unspecified financial damages. If it’s successful, the Bourne family hopes some of the compensation will go toward a memorial scholarship in Brett’s name, said Jamie Kagan, a lawyer representing the family. He said they also want more answers about the events leading up to the death of their son and brother.

“What’s relevant here for us is what was the level of supervision, how long was this incident allowed to boil before it boiled over? And whether steps could have been taken to defuse the situation before violence was used?” Kagan said.

“In terms of the school division, you would hope that there would be some changes that would take place to make sure these types of incidents never are allowed to boil over again.”

 

The statement of claim has not been proven and no statements of defence have yet been filed.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay