An incident such as the heartbreaking stabbings at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School this week will inevitably raise concerns about security at schools, and so it should. 鈥淐an it happen again?鈥� is a question officials should ask as they examine policies and procedures.
But it should not be assumed the Abbotsford school鈥檚 security measures were deficient, nor should it be assumed that all schools should drastically change what they do in response to the attack.
A man walked into the school Tuesday afternoon and stabbed two girls. A 13-year-old girl was killed and a 14-year-old girl was wounded. A 21-year-old suspect is in custody.
It is no comfort to the victims, their families and fellow students that the attack was apparently random, that the perpetrator had no ties to the school. Police know very little about the suspect, except that he is apparently a drifter from Alberta. But the circumstances strongly indicate severe mental illness is at play.
And so, as we examine school-security measures, we should also examine how we deal with mental illness, especially among those who pose a danger to themselves and society.
Times 91原创 reporter Jeff Bell talked to school officials in the region who described policies and plans to deal with threats to the safety and well-being of students. The Sooke school district, for example, has a security officer who has streamlined safety and security drills, and tries to ensure that all schools in his district are on the same page when it comes to such matters.
Diane McNally, vice-chairwoman of the Greater Victoria school board, says her district also makes sure that practice and preparation are done.
But not every danger can be prevented, points out Saanich school district superintendent Keven Elder.
鈥淲e know that kids are as safe at school as anywhere, but anywhere you go, you could find somebody who intends others harm, and you have to react in the moment,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e feel ready to do that. You hope you never have to.鈥�
Reasonable security measures should be in place for the safety of students, and it appears that is the case in the region鈥檚 schools. If policies need adjusting, if measures need strengthening, do it, but we should not make fortresses of our schools. What happened in Abbotsford is horrifying, but we cannot live as though such an attack is imminent at other schools. The odds of that happening are extremely low.
Nor should we automatically equate mental illness with violence and danger. The mentally ill are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators. They are more likely to suffer than to cause suffering.
But for that tiny percentage who are dangerous 鈥� to themselves and others 鈥� we need to do better. In the past, such people were classed as insane and warehoused under inhumane conditions in so-called asylums. Attitudes became more enlightened, and the asylums, such as Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, were closed. We鈥檒l treat people in the community, was the promise.
But what support is available is insufficient. Sick people are spun through revolving doors. The seriously mentally ill are turned out onto the streets to fend for themselves, and too often cannot cope. It is no surprise that many turn to illicit drugs in the quest to ease their suffering.
It is not the fault of one government, but a broad trend in which the pendulum has swung too far. There are people who need help, and they need it in a safe, secure and supportive environment.
Just as we should review school-safety procedures when bad things happen, so should we review what we are doing for those with serious mental illnesses.
