Students, parents concerned over bullying and cultural sensitivity issues at Thunder Bay, Ont., school ( www.cbc.ca )
Families are raising concerns about ongoing violence and bullying at a Catholic middle school in Thunder Bay, Ont., a situation that led a First Nation chief in the area to speak to the school boards and the hiring of security guards.
Pope John Paul II is one of three middle schools for Grade 7 and 8 students in the northwestern Ontario city.
In April 2022, Pamela Kaartinen started a Facebook group called Concerned Parents of Pope John Paul School. With about 230 members at publication time, the group's posts include parents sharing stories of physical, verbal and online bullying, and recordings of fights.
Recently, security guards were hired to address escalating concerns at the school, which is on the former grounds of St. Joseph's Indian Residential School. As the only middle school on the city's south side, it's attended by many students from Fort William First Nation, an Ojibway First Nation on the western shores of Lake Superior.