Westmount High School students walk out, say school mishandles harassment and bullying

Dozens of Westmount High School students walked out in protest of the school's handling of sexual assault and bullying complaints.

Students at Westmount High School walked out of class Wednesday afternoon to protest the school’s handling of bullying and sexual harassment complaints.

The students say bullying has become a major issue, the administration is not doing enough, and are demanding tougher rules.

“Both through social media and in person, people have reported a lot of physical altercations and not a lot has been done by teachers or by the people in charge,” said student Noa Del Busso.

Another student who wished to remain anonymous said there have been incidents between students but also some involving teachers. She said she sometimes feels unsafe at school and students are often uncomfortable reaching out to those in positions of power at the school.

School administration sent a message to parents ahead of the protest encouraging them to speak with their children about possible involvement.

“We would like to reaffirm our commitment to ongoing improvement and to supporting our students in their advocacy for effective anti-bullying measures,” the message said.

It added that anyone can submit an anonymous report through an online form.

But some students want harsher punishment and an apology from the administration for ignoring certain incidents.

She added students wrote a list of demands they will present at a meeting with the administration in the coming weeks.

The English Montreal School Board said it cannot comment on disciplinary measures in school as they are confidential but stressed that all proper procedures were followed by the school.

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Swidda Rassy