The mother and father of two 15-year-old ladies at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon say they went to police and the varsity a number of instances between June and August 2024 with considerations about escalating on-line threats from the scholar now accused of setting one of many ladies on hearth in a faculty hallway.
“We went via all of the assets and requested for assist, time and again,” mentioned one guardian in an interview. “Three police studies. I had 17 e mail exchanges with the principal.”
They are saying they went to the police and the varsity as a result of the textual content messages and on-line threats from the then-14-year-old classmate had been escalating into violent territory. CBC reviewed the dated and time-stamped texts.
“We thought as mother and father that we did what we had been imagined to do, that we did the extent of what we may do,” mentioned one guardian.
“Depart this within the arms of the legislation, and this particular person and her attachment points would go away.”
On Sept. 5, 2024, one of many 15-year-olds sustained burns to 40 per cent of her physique when one other scholar poured a flammable liquid on her head and torso and lit her on hearth in a hallway outdoors a classroom simply earlier than lunch.
The accused, now 15, is charged with aggravated assault, tried homicide and arson. The mother and father of the burned lady say the accused is the classmate who despatched the threatening texts.
CBC shouldn’t be naming the mother and father or the teenager as a result of she is a youth sufferer of crime. The accused can’t be named underneath the Youth Felony Justice Act.
The mother and father of the burned teen say they met with police and the principal of Evan Hardy the final week of August 2024.
“We had been very involved about this particular person harassing our daughter and her mates and we needed to ensure that they’re stored separated. She assured us that they might have a plan in place.”
At this time, the mom is haunted by a unique promise, one made in a textual content to her daughter.
“Reply me or I’ll make college a residing hell.”
The mother and father of two 15-year-old ladies at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon say they went to police and the varsity a number of instances between June and August 2024 with considerations about escalating on-line threats from the scholar now accused of setting one of many ladies on hearth in a faculty hallway.
‘Politely requested her to step again’
CBC met the 2 teenagers and three of the mother and father on the house of the burned teen within the final week of February 2025. The 5 had been interviewed individually, every presenting their perspective on what occurred within the hallway at Evan Hardy that day and over the summer season prior.
They corroborated their tales with the saved texts, and detailed timelines of their conferences with police and the varsity.
The mother and father grew to become concerned at the beginning of the summer season break in 2024, the mom of the injured lady mentioned.
“June 30 was the primary time she introduced this to my consideration. She confirmed me her telephone and mentioned that she’s been getting these textual content messages from somebody from Evan Hardy that she did not know very properly,” she mentioned.
“She sort of backed away and advised them, ‘I hardly know you so we do not have to speak daily.’ And politely requested her to step again. And she or he would not step again, so our daughter obtained her good friend concerned.”
Final 12 months, a 15-year-old was severely burned at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon in an alleged assault by one other scholar. Now, she is telling the story in her phrases. Warning: This story comprises distressing particulars.
The teenager’s good friend says she messaged the lady.
“I attempted my greatest to get them to cease,” the 15-year-old mentioned.
“I redirected them when [the texts] had been beginning to get extra violent. I advised them, like, ‘relax and speak to me as an alternative.'”
As an alternative, each teenagers started getting threatening texts.
The 2 mothers and two teenagers obtained collectively on a telephone name to strive to determine what to do.
“Inside only a few minutes being introduced into the dialog, a textual content was acquired [by one teen] that mentioned you must slit your wrists and kill your self. So, we blocked every thing — that is carried out. This isn’t play time,” the guardian mentioned.
Each units of fogeys say they went to police the subsequent day, July 1, and filed separate complaints.
Police, Saskatoon Public Faculties reply
In an e mail to CBC on March 4, 2025, Saskatoon police mentioned they can not touch upon the matter as a result of it’s earlier than the courts.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson mentioned police collaborate with college divisions via their violent risk evaluation course of.
“As a companion on this strategy, the SPS supplies contextual data to help college divisions and different stakeholders in assessing and managing potential threats,” communications supervisor Kelsie Fraser wrote.
“This collaborative effort helps implement plans to reinforce college security.”
A spokesperson for Saskatoon Public Faculties mentioned in an e mail that the division wouldn’t be offering an interview. CBC had contacted the division requesting an interview to debate the security plan, the after-incident audit and any modifications to high school division coverage after the assault.
“We won’t say something particular about this incident whereas it stays earlier than the courts. We additionally do not communicate to particulars of scholar incidents at any time to guard the privateness of minors,” wrote communications supervisor Colleen Cameron.
“This would come with the small print of any scholar’s security plan.”
Cameron detailed some modifications the division made after the assault. They embody introducing an nameless, third-party security reporting instrument known as P-S-S-T World and “enhancing the documentation course of for college students who’re exhibiting regarding behaviours or utilizing regarding language.”
College directors similar to superintendents, principals and vice-principals are additionally to obtain further coaching.
The division additionally launched the “Scholar Connection Program,” designed to assist college students who cannot take part in a conventional college setting as a consequence of security considerations.
Cameron additionally confirmed the exterior audit of the incident was occurring and would come with interviews and “a overview of documentation.”
She didn’t say when the overview can be completed, or whether or not the findings can be made public or shared with the households.
The mother and father of the injured teen contacted college division director of training Shane Skjerven on March 7 for an replace on the unbiased report. Cameron confirmed to CBC in an e mail that Skjerven had been involved with the household.
“A preliminary report has been offered to our division’s authorized counsel. It is a crucial a part of the method to make sure full cooperation with the continued investigation,” she wrote.
“Our counsel has indicated we will meet within the not-too-distant future for a briefing on the report’s contents. In fact, we will likely be in contact with these most instantly impacted at the moment. And, past that, we are going to share what we will with acceptable events.”
A summer season of discontent
The mother and father say they repeatedly contacted police and the varsity in July and August.
They had been advised after their preliminary studies on July 1 {that a} file had been opened, however that it could be handled by the police college useful resource officer within the fall, “since there was no college in session, and in August the varsity useful resource officer was re-assigned to another gig for the summer season,” the mom of the injured teen mentioned.
The mother and father say the varsity’s principal reached out on July 5 and mentioned she had contacted the guardians of the lady sending the texts and shared what was occurring.
The threatening messages slowed for a number of weeks, however then resumed in August, the mother and father mentioned.
“She would say issues about hurting herself and hurting different folks, so we went once more to the police station, filed the second report and quoted the primary report quantity in order that they might be hooked up, or collectively,” the mother of the injured teen mentioned.
This led to the assembly with police and the principal simply earlier than college started.
“She, the principal, mentioned the correct phrases to tell us, or really feel like, our daughter can be secure in school.”
‘Voices advised her to do issues’
The mother and father say they didn’t study the small print of the security plan till a gathering with the principal after the 15-year-old was burned.
The then-14-year-old was to go on to the administration workplace for a one-on-meeting to evaluate whether or not she was “regulated and prepared for varsity, and to do a backpack verify,” the mom of the injured teen’s good friend mentioned.
“I used to be advised that this occurred on the Wednesday, the primary day of faculty, and that they deemed the accused not prepared, not balanced, not capable of keep they usually dismissed them and despatched them house,” she mentioned.
“On the Thursday the accused got here in and was processed the identical means: spoke to the vice-principal and we had been advised there was a bag verify. In some unspecified time in the future in the course of the morning there was one other evaluation deemed — I am unsure what triggered it — however that they had determined the accused was not balanced and prepared for varsity.”
The teenager was escorted by two lecturers to an exit to attend for a pick-up, in response to the mom of the injured lady’s greatest good friend, primarily based on a dialog she mentioned she had with the principal. The exit was within the hallway close to the place the injured teen was in her historical past class.
The college division wouldn’t present any touch upon the occasions of that day for this story.
The mother and father of the injured teen didn’t study till later, when the accused had been arrested and charged and appeared in court docket, that she had been out and in of psychiatric care that summer season.
The data got here out in a September look in youth court docket. Her lawyer had utilized for an evaluation of whether or not the then-14-year-old was not criminally accountable. Decide Sanjeev Anand granted the request to evaluate whether or not, on the time of the alleged offence, the teenager was affected by a psychological dysfunction.
Beneath questioning by Anand, court docket heard that the teenager had been underneath the care of a nurse practitioner and had been identified with a “psychotic dysfunction.” She had additionally been admitted to hospital that summer season for emergency psychiatric care.
The choose additionally heard how the teenager had advised Saskatoon police “voices advised her to do issues” within the moments after her 15-year-old classmate was lit on hearth.
CBC additionally realized that the assault was not the primary time the accused and hearth had been a problem on the college.
Lecturers on the college confirmed the accused had tried to mild ceiling tiles in a library facet room on hearth on March 25, 2024. She was suspended for 3 days and ordered to undergo bag checks. CBC shouldn’t be naming the lecturers as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk publicly.
The Metropolis of Saskatoon confirmed that the hearth division responded to a name at 605 Acadia Dr. on March 25, 2024. That’s the handle for Evan Hardy Collegiate. They had been known as to the varsity to offer air flow.
The highway forward
The mother and father of the injured teen have no idea what lies forward.
Her dad says they had been interviewed by the exterior investigator contracted by the Saskatoon Public College Division for an audit of what occurred. They spent an hour with the investigator telling their story, however the dad says he would not know what’s going to turn out to be of the report or its findings.
Each mother and father have attended the accused’s court docket appearances. The authorized course of is gradual, complicated and unsure. The accused has pleaded not responsible to the costs and a four-day preliminary listening to is scheduled at provincial court docket in July.
In the long run, the mother and father need an open accounting from the police and the varsity about what occurred.
“There’s data that they will not share with us till this goes to trial, or till this involves an finish,” the injured teen’s dad mentioned.
“Then we will see what may be carried out higher subsequent time so this does not occur once more and one other household would not should undergo what we’re going via, and what our daughter has to undergo for the remainder of her life.”
At this time, they’re targeted on their daughter’s therapeutic journey.
“She’s a robust younger girl. She has unhealthy hours, and they’re getting fewer, however she powers via these releases of frustration and ache,” mentioned her dad.
“Loads of issues have modified, however lots of issues have stayed the identical,” mentioned the lady’s mother.
“Her persona, her resilience, her power and braveness. She’s so courageous to speak about what occurred, and he or she’s so courageous to be out on the earth. We’ll go to a grocery retailer or the mall and it is OK. There are some individuals who stare as a result of her pores and skin appears very totally different than mine or your wholesome pores and skin.
“However I feel the staring is usually out of concern, and the folks have the questions: I’m wondering if that is the lady from Evan Hardy?”
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