TDSB sees highest number of weapons possession suspensions in 6 years

CTV Toronto: Drug-related suspensions CTV has uncovered statistics looking at drug-related suspensions and expulsions in Toronto schools. Naomi Parness has exclusive details.

The number of suspensions for possessing a weapon on Toronto District School Board property nearly doubled in the past year, while the total number of weapons-related suspensions was the highest it's been since 2009.

In the last school year, there were 73 suspensions and expulsions for possession of a weapon across the TDSB. The year before there were only 42 instances recorded, nearly half the number from 2013-14.

The number of expulsions and suspensions for possession of weapons were the highest they've been since 2008, according to school board records obtained by CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness.

The records, from 2008 to 2014, were obtained through an access-to-information request.

In the documents, a weapon is defined as any article used or intended to be used for the purpose of threatening, intimidating or injuring a person. All firearms, including replicas and imitations, are also considered weapons.

In the school year starting in 2011, there were 47 suspensions or expulsions relating to the possession of a weapon. The year before, there were 55, and there were 57 in the year starting in 2009. In 2008-09, the first year listed in the records, there were 64 recorded instances of possession-related suspensions and expulsions.

Weapons-related suspensions and expulsions at five-year high

The chart above only takes into account the number of suspensions and expulsions specifically related to weapons possession, but the school board also provided data on other weapons-related instances.

The total number of incidents combines counts of possessing a weapon with counts of trafficking weapons or drugs and using weapons to cause or threaten bodily harm. The annual count also includes all acts considered by the principal to be a breach of the board or school's weapons-related codes of conduct.

When comparing the total number of all weapons-related incidents, the TDSB had more than 300 total incidents in the last school year, the highest number of incidents recorded in five years.

In the school year that started in September 2013, there were 337 weapons-related suspensions and expulsions across the TDSB, up 74 from the previous school year. The year before, there were 263 instances. In the year that started in 2011 there were 251. In the year starting in 2010, there were 262 and there were 319 the year before that.

Between the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009, there were 454 weapons-related suspensions and expulsions.

Weapons-related suspensions by school

Of the 348 schools included in the documents, 243 schools (69.8 per cent) had fewer than six incidents over the last six years. If there were fewer than six incidents, the board did not provide an exact number to "protect student privacy," the TDSB said.

Of the 105 schools with six or more weapons-related suspensions or expulsions, 12 schools had 20 or more incidents since the 2008-09 school year.

Central Technical School had the highest number of incidents, referred to as "counts" in the documents. CTS saw 51 expulsions and suspensions relating to weapons between the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2014.

The following schools all had 20 or more counts of weapons-related suspensions or expulsions:

The number of drug-related suspensions and expulsions were also outlined in a document obtained by an access-to-information request. The numbers will be published on Friday afternoon.

Full document

The documents obtained by CTV Toronto show weapons-related suspensions and expulsions in each school in the board during the period between fall of 2008 and spring of 2014:

Weapon Related Suspensions