To ensure safety of all students involved, everything written in this statement is alleged as nothing has been proven in court.

A VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS SUSPENDED AFTER BEING COERCED INTO REPORTING THE CRIME!

On Wednesday, October 27th a student at Cawthra Park Secondary School a student was called down to the guidance office in response to screenshots administration had received of their personal conversations. The student had just recently been allegedly sexually assaulted by a fellow student, the offender was the topic mentioned in the screenshots. The victim was then told they were being suspended for a “bullying incident” due to them sharing and venting about the sexual assault on their personal private social media account. Even the offender themselves was aware and acknowledged that they had not received consent.

The suspension remained even after the student shared the incident of sexual assault with administration, which was the cause of their anger on social media. If administration is going to silence the victim due to a violation of their bullying protocols, where do students go for a safe space after a traumatic incident? 

Today, the offender still remains in school receiving their education, while the victim is being denied the right to theirs at home. The victim deserves a fair treatment of both incidents, is sexual assault not considered harassment as well? Cawthra Park Secondary School allegedly has many incidents of harassment going unpunished or ignored because of the toxic environment created by administration. Victims are afraid to share/reach out because of the negative response the school system has. 

This act of silencing is directly contradicting their statements of ensuring safety for ALL students. The silencing of students is common throughout our schools, PLEASE sign this petition to show support to your wronged peers. 

We DEMAND justice for all students in the Peel District School Board community.