Frustration, fear in wake of Steinbach school protest

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This article was published 10/02/2022 (1049 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One student at Steinbach Regional Secondary School says he felt immense fear, panic and frustration after he witnessed hundreds of his peers crowd the halls and take off their masks to join a protest of COVID-19 restrictions.

“My grandpa passed away from COVID. It’s frustrating seeing so many people treat that as unimportant and treat that as nothing,” said Garrett Hurst, a Grade 11 student.

The 16-year-old was among those who were forced into lockdown and later, “hold and secure” mode at the high school on Thursday, owing to concerns about a rowdy protest on school grounds.

Around 9 a.m., students gathered inside the building and prepared to exit in solidarity with the anti-COVID-19 restriction movement.

Garrett said he came across a “jam-packed” group of protesters in the main area of the school when he left his first class to get something to eat. He peeked outside to see the gathering, which he estimated at 400 people.

Citing safety concerns, officials locked the doors of the school after student protesters streamed out.

Both teenagers and adult protesters, some of them equipped with signs condemning public health orders, surrounded the school. Drivers honked in support of the crowd as they circled the school.

It was not until 11 a.m. that Garrett said administrators sounded a lockdown alarm, prompting the eleventh grader, who had a spare during that time, to enter the closest classroom.

“During the lockdown, we had to close the door, lights off, hide — the whole nine yards,” he said, adding that lasted for around 20 minutes.

“I felt scared for the first little while. I was very stressed out.”

In an email Friday, the superintendent of Hanover School Division informed families that initial communication within the school referred to a lockdown, but the status was changed within minutes to a hold and secure situation, which is where it remained for the rest of the school day.

“The hold and secure, initiated during the protest, was to ensure the safety of students and staff within the school. Adults attempted to gain access into the school, and their intent was unknown,” Shelley Amos wrote.

Lockdowns are only to be used when there is a major incident or threat of violence within a school or related to it, per the Manitoba School Boards Association. Hold-and-secures are to occur when there is an ongoing situation outside a K-12 building, but classes can safely operate, as long as the exterior doors are locked until the situation is resolved.

Amos said school staff were confronted with “belligerent behaviours” by both adults and students, while some adult protesters engaged in banging on windows and doors with fists and flagpoles Thursday.

Also in her email, she indicated the division has been made aware of a video circulating on social media that shows an altercation at a point of entry into the school during the protest. The adult involved is not an employee, Amos said, adding RCMP is aware of the clip.

“It’s extraordinarily disappointing when demonstrators want to take their message to public schools. It’s often viewed as intimidating to students. It’s really inappropriate,” said James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

Bedford applauded administrators for doing the right thing, by temporarily restricting access to the building.

In the wake of the protest, the high school was scheduled to temporarily move to remote learning Friday, but inclement weather cancelled courses. The majority of students will learn from home on Monday instead.

Despite the looming loosening of restrictions in schools and across society, Garrett said he plans to continue wearing a KN95 mask upon his return to in-person learning and for the foreseeable future.

He said he questions whether the lifting of restrictions is too early and in response to events at his school, the Manitoba legislature and the border, as well as the “Freedom Convoy 2022” in Ottawa.

A notable number of students at his school either consistently wear face coverings improperly, with the personal protective equipment either tucked under their nose or chin, or do not wear them at all, he said.

Data obtained by the Free Press through freedom of information requests show at least 23 mask exemptions have been approved among SRSS students in 2021-22.

The Steinbach school has one of the largest populations in all of Manitoba, with upwards of 1,700 students.

Administrators at Sisler High School, which has matching enrolment, estimate five students — all of whom are enrolled in an inclusive education program — do not wear masks for medical reasons.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie