Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Arngna'naaq on March 8, 1993, with regard to an assault in Arviat high school.
On February 17, 1993, an adult approached two students who were standing outside Qitiqliq High School during the afternoon recess, and assaulted one of them. The school called the RCMP, and the student who was assaulted gave the officer a statement but did not want to press charges.
The school and the community education council investigated the possibility of laying charges under the Criminal Code, and the RCMP officer advised them not to proceed. A teacher, the school, or the community education council can report any incidents to the RCMP and encourage the laying of charges. However, in the end the police officer makes the decision to lay a charge.
School authorities are responsible for the supervision and general protection of students. The school and the community education council did report the assault, and did encourage the policy officer to lay charges under the Criminal Code. The school contacted the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association and the association has written the RCMP about this incident, and are awaiting an answer.
There are also other actions school authorities can taken to try to protect the students. The Education Act allows a teacher to exclude any person who has created a disturbance from school premises. The Northwest Territories Teachers' Association and the Department responsible for Education, Culture and Employment Programs are continuing to look into what took place following the assault in Arviat, and are working to ensure that school authorities have the information and advice they need to do their part to protect students in school and on school premises. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.