Staff and students from two secondary schools were evacuated on Wednesday after it appeared “pepper spray” was used on school grounds.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians of Bloor Collegiate Institute and Central Technical School students, the TDSB said at around 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, some people were coughing and experiencing watery eyes due to the air on the third-floor hallway of the school’s north side.
Bloor CI students are currently attending Central Technical School while their new school is being built.
While the school board is still investigating, the TDSB said in its letter that it appeared “pepper spray” was used in the area.
“We immediately notified TDSB Health and Safety who advised us to evacuate the area,” the letter reads.
Everyone on school grounds was safely evacuated to the dome at Central Tech Stadium, and to the field of Central Technical School, as the facilities team arranged to increase airflow to the affected area.
At around 3:15 p.m., the evacuation was lifted. To TDSB’s knowledge, no injuries were reported.
On top of increasing airflow in the school building, the TDSB said the facilities team will clean the school’s surfaces overnight so that the building will be ready for staff and students Thursday morning.
