by Don Peat, THE TORONTO SUN

C.W. Jefferys has been the site of a murder, a near-fatal stabbing and an alleged gang sexual assault -- but still no uniformed police officer.

The Toronto District School Board says an officer could be assigned to the school next year if Toronto Police get additional funding and if the school community supports the idea.

By CLARK KIM, Insidetoronto.com

With the year coming to an end, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) reported on its progress on the action plan to make all local public schools safer for students.

The actions implemented by the board were from the recommendations made in the January report by the School Community Safety Advisory Panel that investigated the safety conditions at schools following the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Manners at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. Read more...

By JASON BUCKLAND, TORONTO SUN

The Toronto District School Board has adopted a motion that could set a precedent for uniforms becoming mandatory in more city schools.

Trustees agreed Wednesday night to pass along a motion to senior staff that could lower the community consensus needed to implement uniforms in each school from 80% to 60%.

Aside from the senior board members, members of the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee and Student Super Council will weigh in on the decision. They will report back to trustees sometime in January, the board said yesterday.

Trustee Josh Matlow said the move may seem small, but will offer a better opportunity for change among many Toronto school communities.

"Eighty percent is a difficult bar to reach, and I don't think that having to reach that is fair in a lot of cases," he said. "I think 60% is a reasonable majority opinion."

Matlow said if the vote percentage needed drops, more schools would find kids in uniforms walking their halls.

Trustee Soo Wong said while uniforms may not be right for all schools, they can help promote the equity within the board that the TDSB preaches.

Both trustees acknowledged parents would be the ones likely to foot the bill should uniforms be implemented at their children's schools, but Wong said it's her experience that may not be a bad thing.

"You've got to pay for clothes anyway, you can't come to school naked," she said.

"Parents I've talked to said their clothing costs for their children are cut significantly when they wear uniforms to school."

Toronto Star

November 14, 2008

An architect of a long-awaited probe into youth violence says he was struck by how big a role mental health plays in the issue and is urging the government to address the problem now, despite the faltering economy.

Former Liberal MPP Alvin Curling says that over the 17 months he worked on the study, he was surprised to discover how many young people are traumatized and fearful.

The landmark "Roots of Youth Violence" study by Curling and retired Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry, being released this morning, will recommend improving mental health services for young people and streamlining government departments to ensure better access to programs. Read more...

A cousin of the Grade 11 student knifed in a high school cafeteria on Tuesday put it best: "You don't go to school to get stabbed."

Students don't go there to get shot either, yet 15-year-old Jordan Manners was fatally shot last year at the same Toronto school – C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. That's why the assertion of the school principal, Audley Salmon, that his school is "without a doubt unequivocally safe" strikes a discordant note. Read more...