February 13, 2025
No one should be afraid to go to school
Shari-Ann Bracci-Selvey, centre, fights back tears at a vigil for her 14-year-old murdered son, Devan Selvey, at his high school, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, in Hamilton, Ont., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019.
Shari-Ann Bracci-Selvey, centre, fights back tears at a vigil for her 14-year-old murdered son, Devan Selvey, at his high school, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, in Hamilton, Ont., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019.

School authorities in Hamilton, Ont., have clearly mastered the fine points of post-tragedy procedure.

In the hours after Devan Bracci-Selvey was stabbed to death as his mother watched in horror outside Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, information was scarce.

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board education director Manny Figueiredo issued a statement. No, the board couldn’t go into detail about how such a thing could occur, or what had brought it about. But it was sure prepared for the ritual aftermath.

Social workers, a crisis-response team and police liaison officers would be on hand to help staff and students deal with their emotions. There was an outside agency to help the social workers, and extra teachers and outside principals available to offer staff members a break if they needed. A school board publication offered tips on dealing with grief: be a good listener, keep communication open, acknowledge your feelings …

Talk about being prepared. If the board had dealt even half as quickly with complaints from Shari-Ann Selvey that her son was being relentlessly bullied, perhaps all the comforting and commiserating might not have been necessary.

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