Two teenagers injured after assault at south Ottawa school

Two teenagers were seriously injured Monday morning after an assault at an Ottawa high school.

The events took place at the English public secondary school Hillcrestsouth of downtown, according to the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).

When police arrived, they found a student with serious injuries.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board [Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) – traduction libre] indicated that the person was taken to the hospital, where he is in a serious but stable condition.

Another young victim was found with similar injuries during the investigation, police said in a press release early Monday afternoon.

Both victims received treatment at the hospital and are in stable condition, according to police.

Four suspects, all young people, were arrested by the SPO.

On the social network SPO indicates having been called to the scene of an assault atsharp weapon on Dauphin Street shortly after 9 a.m.

On the social network Since then, the lockdown has been lifted and the school has been placed in mode secure schoolconfirms the school board.

The latter specifies on its website that this means that classes continue, with greater precautions for the safety of students and staff. Hallways are clear and movement within the school is restricted. Students and staff continue their usual activities in their classroom or designated safe areas.

An investigation is underway and police are asking the public to avoid the area and follow their instructions.

Increase in violence among young people

Since the pandemic, researcher Naffissa Ismail has noticed an increase in violence in schools from year to year. A situation disturbing according to the full professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.

This would be, according to her, partly because of the screens. During the pandemic, our young people had less social contact, then really turned to screens, social mediashe describes.

All that time spent in front of screens and on social media contributes greatly to the increase in aggression among our young peopleexplains Naffissa Ismail.

The Association of Franco-Ontarian Teachers (AEFO) also notes this increase. This union does not represent teachers at Hillcrest School, but agreed to comment on the situation.

It’s part of our daily lives, unfortunately, more and more.

The president, Gabrielle Lemieux, is concerned about this violence which is more and more daily.

It’s critical, we need to address the situationsays the one who asks that school staff be better equipped to deal with this type of event.

With information from Joe Tunney, CBC News, and Charlotte Tremblay