A steering team set up by the Toronto District School Board has released a report containing 41 recommendations following the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old student at an Etobicoke high school in September.
Hamid Aminzada was stabbed multiple times while trying to intervene in a confrontation between two other students in a hallway at North Albion Collegiate Institute on Sept. 23.
He later died in hospital of his injuries.
In October, TDSB Director of Education Donna Quan committed to an investigation into the circumstances that lead to the stabbing, as well as the board’s response.
“The primary focus of the review was on NACI’s crisis response procedures and practices, the overall tone and safety of the school’s environment, and the school’s engagement with the community,” the report released Wednesday night reads.
“A secondary focus of the team was to widen the scope in order to gather information, insights and knowledge on school safety and community engagement from a wide variety of stakeholders both from the system and the community.”
The 62-page report was prepared by a five-person panel including a former TDSB executive superintendent of education and a former deputy chief for the Toronto Police Service.
It contains 41 ‘recommendations for action’ in four main areas: crisis response, caring and safe environments, policies, procedures and practices for safety in schools, and community engagement and support.
They relate both to North Albion Collegiate Institute specifically, as well as more general system-wide suggestions.
“NACI and the surrounding community have been through a lot,” the report reads.
“In the aftermath of this tragedy, it is incumbent on the board to implement a communication plan that highlights positive stories about the achievement of the students, staff and families of North Albion Collegiate Institute and others.”
The report is being discussed at a planning and priorities committee meeting taking place tonight. An interim report was submitted in November.
The committee is expected to vote to receive the report to be addressed at the next board meeting, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said.
“We’ve got to move on this,” TDSB chair Shawn Chen said Wednesday night. “We know, from our own student census, that 93 per cent of students feel safe in school. It’s that seven per cent we’ve got to find out what are the issues, and how we tackle that within our schools.
“We will do what we can to implement, as soon as possible, some of these recommendations. Some will take more time – particularly those around our facilities, and others will involve us working with the broader community.”
A 17-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the homicide.
