The Kids of Jack Hulland Elementary – Timeline Part 1 (Class Action Lawsuit)

This timeline was updated on April 2, 2024 to reflect a recent Yukon Supreme Court ruling.

Warning: This multi-part series deals with the physical abuse of vulnerable children in the public school system. If you or someone you love is experiencing trauma-related symptoms from physical abuse, please seek help. Resources in Canada can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html For children, Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

What happened to the kids of Jack Hulland Elementary School?

The best place to start might be a timeline for this story – an anchor for the pieces of the story of tragedy that will follow. Let’s begin with where we are today: January 14, 2024

Class Action Lawsuit Against the Government of Yukon and the Yukon Department of Education

Today we are about to begin the work of locating the individuals who attended Jack Hulland Elementary School from 2007 to 2022. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Yukon, Suzanne Duncan, ruled that the Class Action Lawsuit against the Yukon Government and Yukon Department of Education could proceed (the 37-page decision can be accessed here: https://www.yukoncourts.ca/sites/default/files/2023-09/2023_yksc_51_gx_v_yukon.pdf)

“All students and former students of Jack Hulland Elementary School who were subject to holds and restraints and/or who were locked in a room and/or placed in seclusion between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2022 (the “Class Members”).“

This is challenging work and it will require accessing a list of former students, as well as targetted advertising across this country [see April 2, 2024 update below]

The Yukon Department of Education has admitted holds, restraints and seclusion were used on children inappropriately. Why do children and families need a class action lawsuit to secure access to professionals to assist with healing from the trauma of child abuse?

“Staff at Jack Hulland Elementary School in Whitehorse, Yukon, routinely put students in holds or seclusion prior to 2020 for not following directions, including one case where a child was put in a hold for not pulling the hood of their sweater down.” (J. Hong, May 2022)

Because we are missing the answer to the question, “Where are the victims?”

Where are the children who were harmed?

Where are the kids of Jack Hulland Elementary School now?

If parents don’t know their children were harmed, this wait is wasted precious time that the families can never get back. It’s time when victims of abuse are not being treated. It’s time that can change a life trajectory. There is urgency in the need to find victims and provide the needed supports, and that can only be done when the Department of Education provides the names and last known contact information for children defined by the “class” as outlined in the Supreme Court ruling.

Update April 2, 2024: On March 27, 2024, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Yukon ruled that the Yukon Department of Education must provide the lawyers for the plaintiffs with the names and last known contact information for every child/family who could be considered a member of the “class”. This development means that after waiting nearly 4 months, the legal team representing the children who were harmed will be able to personally contact all potential children/families in the class defined by the Supreme Court of the Yukon. For further details, please see the update here: https://blog.donnamillerfry.com/the-rights-of-children/the-kids-of-jack-hulland-elementary-supreme-court-ruling-update-march-27-2024/

Featured Image:

The quote in the featured image is taken from the CBC News article May 18, 2022 referenced here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/jack-hulland-internal-review-interim-findings-1.6457327

Resources:

The legal team representing the victims includes lawyers from Tucker-Carruthers in Whitehorse, Yukon, and lawyers from Camp, Fiorante, Matthews, Mogerman (Vancouver). An overview of the legal process, from the initial filing on October 31, 2022, to the certification as a class action, can be found here: https://tuckercarruthers.ca/jack-hulland-elementary/

The Kids of Jack Hulland Elementary is a compilation of stories around the Inappropriate Use of Force on vulnerable children over many years at a public school in Whitehorse, Yukon. This is a complex narrative about the violation of the rights of children in a public school, where all children should thrive. Through understanding the circumstances that led to and supported child abuse, we can all ensure this never happens again.

Class Action Lawsuit: Were you (or someone you know) a student at Jack Hulland Elementary School in Whitehorse, Yukon during the years 2007 to 2022? You may be entitled to compensation as part of a class action lawsuit against the Yukon Department of Education. Please contact Tucker-Carruthers Yukon Law for more information. Website: https://tuckercarruthers.ca/ or contact Heather Jordan, Paralegal at 867-667-2099 or email hjordan@yukonlaw.com

Who I Am: My name is Donna Miller Fry. I was Superintendent of Schools in Whitehorse, Yukon when I became aware that prior to my arrival, children at Jack Hulland Elementary School were being restrained and secluded as a method of discipline – for years. I (and others) reported this to the RCMP on November 29, 2021. Since then, the Department of Education has admitted the inappropriate use of restraints and seclusion. The victims have resorted to legal action to obtain professional support in addressing the impacts of trauma. This can never happen again in the public school system. By telling this story, I hope to empower education leaders to ensure vulnerable children are never again the victims of abuse in the very place that should be dedicated to their flourishing.