Donations are pouring in for the Saskatoon teen seriously injured when a classmate at Evan Hardy Collegiate allegedly set her on fire last Thursday, an incident that has sent shock waves throughout the school community and across the entire province.
Two student eyewitnesses described to CBC News seeing the accused pour liquid on the victim and then raise a hand to her head in the hallway an instant before the fire began. Grade 9 student Lexxi Sparvier said she called 911 as teachers yelled for the victim to roll on the ground and one used a fire extinguisher to quell the flames.
Court documents say the 14-year-old did “attempt to murder [the victim] by dousing her in a flammable liquid and igniting her on fire.”
Nearly 900 donors to a crowdfunding campaign have contributed more than $60,000 for the family of the 15-year-old victim, who was flown to a hospital in Edmonton and is believed to be in serious but stable condition. The campaign page says the funds will be used to cover travel and living costs for the girl’s parents while they are with her in Edmonton.
“She is a kind, caring bright young woman who is much beloved by all who have the pleasure of meeting her,” says the fundraiser, organized by the victim’s cousin. “The road ahead of this recent tragedy is expected to be long.”
A 14-year-old girl, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged Friday with attempted murder, arson and aggravated assault in the incident. She is currently in custody and expected to appear in court in Saskatoon again on Wednesday.
The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is continuing to investigate the incident, in which it said a School Resource Officer (SRO) present at Evan Hardy for an unrelated reason intervened quickly before other first responders arrived.
A 15-year-old girl was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a 14-year-old girl allegedly set her on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon Thursday. Lexxi Sparvier and Sophie Hubbard are Grade 9 students at Evan Hardy who saw some of what happened. They spoke with media Friday.
Classroom safety of ‘utmost concern’: Education minister
Students at Evan Hardy were sent home early Thursday after the noon-hour incident, and classes were cancelled for Friday and Monday, though the school remained open to offer counselling resources and support, according to the principal and Saskatoon Public Schools.
Classes are set to resume on Tuesday, but Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Samantha Becotte said the incident is still taking a toll on students, teachers and families.
“It is a devastating time for sure. And everyone is really still struggling that something like this could happen within a school,” she told CBC News on Monday morning.
“We’re thinking about the staff at Evan Hardy and thinking about the challenges that they’ll face returning to school and returning to greeting students at school. Many of them are very shaken up as well.”
Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill called it “a horrible incident” on Monday and thanked school staff, teachers and the SPS for their quick responses.
“It shows the value of having a school resource officer on-site,” he said at an unrelated media availability in Regina. “And I think, as unfortunate as the situation is, and I know we’ve got people recovering from injuries, I can’t help but think it could have been worse. And so I’m glad it wasn’t.”
Sask. Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck said she reached out to the family of the victim and called the accounts of the incident she had heard “horrifying.”
“We’re all hoping for the best possible outcomes for those who have been injured,” she told reporters at an unrelated announcement on Monday.
Becotte said the incident has prompted conversations about ensuring all schools have adequate resources to keep students and teachers safe, and she hopes those discussions will continue.
“This isn’t a struggle within one school, but right now we really need to be focusing on supporting the [Evan Hardy] staff and the school community to ensure that they’re getting the supports that they need in such a difficult time,” she said.
Beck said that while the details of the incident are not yet clear, broadly speaking supports for students are “inadequate” and that has “very real consequences” for students and schools.
Cockrill said school safety is the “utmost concern” and that the government would be open to further discussions about “making sure that students can be safe and so that incidents like this can be prevented going forward.”