NDP Leader Kate White is calling for change to educational policy around student-on-student sexualized violence.

Her urging follows allegations of an incident involving a former local high school student who says the school and the government failed to protect her after multiple assaults by a fellow student on and off school property. They were reported to school administration and the RCMP.

The student’s letter was obtained by the Star on Wednesday.

In it, the young woman said, “Not only will I have to suffer the trauma of being sexually assaulted multiple times, but I also have to live with the fact that my school treated it the way they did.”

In her letter to officials, the student went on to comment how frequent sexually abusive behaviour was, and how it was not taken seriously by school staff.

She named examples of incidents, including some that happened in front of teachers. She said it was common to hear rumours of girls being groped by their male peers at the school bus stop.

The young woman says her graduating class of 2022 was “full of young men who thought it was acceptable to rape and assault women.”

Despite the severity and frequency of the incidents the young woman’s letter includes, only the NDP responded to her – and has pushed for action. 

During question period Wednesday, White expressed concern about the powerful letter the student wrote, asking for policy changes to fill the gap.

Education Minister Jeanie McLean said the health, safety, and well-being of students and staff are always the first priority.

“There is a need to proactively and responsibly address concerns of student-to-student harm,” she told the legislature.

“There is an absolutely clear expectation that all members of the school community must not engage in bullying, abuse, or other unacceptable behaviours, as outlined in the Safe and Caring Schools policy,” added McLean.

She said there are policies in place, but would not speak about the specifics of the young woman’s case.

McLean told reporters later, “We’re committed to looking at policies and procedures to make sure that they are meeting the expectation and the need and the desired outcome for students.

“The Department of Education has policies in place to address allegations of inappropriate behaviour, criminal activity and abuse. We follow the Yukon’s violent risks, threat risk assessment protocol, which is designed to respond to violent behaviour or threats by a student,” the minister added.

“We also use the Safe and Caring Schools Policy, which is an overarching policy that is focused on keeping schools safe.”

The Sexualized Assault Response Team (SART) is also available 24/7 for victims of sexualized assault, she pointed out.

“This is a safe and confidential network to help individuals navigate the aftermath of these kinds of horrible situations,” McLean said.

‘And we take all allegations seriously and work with partners, including the RCMP, to ensure these matters are investigated and addressed appropriately.”

The pre-existing policies that protect students are as follows:

• Student Protection Policy, which was put in place to protect students from an adult who has, or may, cause harm to their well-being. This includes inappropriate behaviour and abuse.

The policy also includes how the response and action should be handled by Department of Education staff and community members in the event an incident occurs.

• The Sexual Orientation and Gender Policy, which protects students and school community members from discriminatory behaviour based on their gender identity, or sexual orientation.

It includes a strict no tolerance for homophobic behaviour or bullying policy, and has staff respond and provide support and assistance to those who have become targets whether unintended, or intended. 

• The Safe and Caring Schools Policy intends to promote safety of people in schools, ensures members of the school community are treated with respect and dignity, and encourages responsible citizenship by supporting participation in the civic life of members in the school community.

It also works to maintain conflictual environments by addressing matters respectfully, encourages non-violent ways to resolve conflict, and acts to prevent bullying within schools. 

Under the current guidelines, there is no policy regarding student-on-student violence, specifically sexual violence, in school or government programs. 

“Without a policy in place, the decision makers mandated to protect and support students have no guidelines on how to deal with sexualized violence committed by their peers,” White said in a letter to McLean. 

The policies listed above existed when the former student’s sexual assaults took place, yet, she said she was forced to deal with the assaults herself. 

“I was shunned by my classmates and was driven to the point where I felt my only resort was suicide,” wrote the young woman. 

White has been working with her for a number of months.

“I have an obligation to this young person who wrote up to me,” White said.

“The truth of the matter is, there was at least three of us in that assembly who got that initial email,” said White. “And I was the only person to respond.”

In White’s letter to McLean, she asked for the establishment of a new policy, as the incident the student faced didn’t fit into the current system. 

“The RCMP highlighted that without policies, they weren’t really sure how to respond as far as directing the school,” said White.

“Administration said that they didn’t understand what their rules were because there wasn’t a policy in place.”  

Another concern of the former student that White brought up in her letter was that the victim should not have to see the abuser at school. 

“A student who reports an incident of violence to their administrators or the RCMP should not be made to face their abuser repeatedly in a school setting,” said White. 

The young woman suggested moving the wrongdoer to a different school to avoid constant trauma for the victim. 

In her letter, the young woman suggested some changes for the system that she claimed failed her. 

“I recommend in the future, when this happens again, that the school have a policy in place that protects the victims foremost. You can also help educate students on CONSENT and possibly prevent assaults from happening in the first place.

“I will not be silenced and will not stop talking about this; I will do everything I can to end this disgusting behaviour deemed okay by the Yukon government,” she said.

She also says in her letter, “I thought this was the typical high school experience, having to go to school with peers who hated me for finding the courage to talk about my sexual assault and constantly being afraid in my school.

“This is not normal. I am so incredibly tired of being told repeatedly that it’s not a simple solution and is too complicated.”