The Kids of Jack Hulland Elementary – UPDATE on Bill C-273 (Repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada)

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.

Bill C-273 passed second reading in the House of Commons (Canada) on February 14th.

Prior to the vote, a discussion was held in the legislature. You can read what your Member of Parliament said (or didn’t say) here. You can see how each Member of Parliament voted on this Private Members Bill to protect ALL Canadian children here: https://openparliament.ca/votes/44-1/644/

For the past 3 years, my life has been immersed in the damage caused by educators who felt they had the right to use physical restraint as a form of discipline on vulnerable children. I have worked with families of children who were placed in seclusion for hours and hours, often several times in a week. We don’t do this to our worst criminals in Canada, yet educators felt they had the right to do this to children. Parents were never (some still have not been) informed. Prior to moving to the Yukon, I would not have believed this abuse was possible in Canada.

Do our Members of Parliament understand the consequences of a Criminal Code that does not explicitly protect children from physical harm?

Bill C-273 now goes to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for study. Please help to make sure every member of that committee is aware of the damage done to children when physical assault is an acceptable form of discipline for children.

Will you stand up and protect children? Please join me in this work. Write to your MP today and link them to this story.

Featured Image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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.

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

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, a place where all children should thrive. Through understanding the circumstances that led to and supported child abuse, we can all ensure this never happens again.

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.