Young person charged with indignity to a body after death at eastern Ontario school

Ontario Provincial Police logo and cruiser.

Ontario Provincial Police say a young person is facing several charges in connection with the death of another young person in eastern Ontario.

The OPP said a child at a school in Bath, Ont., just outside Kingston, experienced a medical emergency on March 9 and later died. The exact circumstances of the incident have not been made public.

On Friday, the OPP said one person was charged with criminal harassment, indignity to a dead body, and two counts of indecent communication.

The accused cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the OPP said it would not identify the deceased out of respect for the family’s privacy.

In a statement, the Limestone District School Board said it continues to mourn the death of one of its students.

“Our deepest sympathies remain with the student’s family, friends, classmates and the entire school community. This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for everyone affected, and our focus remains on care, stability and ongoing support for students, staff and families,” the statement said.

The board said it would be conducting its own investigation.

“Student safety and wellbeing remain our highest priority. We take all concerns related to bullying, conflict and safety seriously. We are committed to maintaining safe, supportive and respectful learning environments across all schools,” the statement said.

“We are also reviewing relevant policies and procedures to ensure they are strong, clear and consistently applied across the system. This includes a commitment to learning from this tragedy and taking meaningful action to strengthen student safety and supports going forward.”

The school board said it would not be commenting further.