The new Échos secondary school in Vaudreuil-Dorion has barely been open for a few weeks, when episodes of violence are already increasing, terrorizing students, teachers and even the neighborhood.
Two gangs of Secondary 4 students, the O-23 and the Cagoules, regularly get into violent fights. Additionally, it is not uncommon for these fights to be organized with other local high schools.
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Young girls studying at the institution no longer even want to come to class. Parents are extremely concerned about the situation, as are some teachers, including several who spoke to QUB Radio about the situation on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“My students tell me not to confront them because they would attack my daughters or my car,” our witness said. Some young people from a gang even came into the teachers’ room recently. They wanted to find a specific teacher to beat him, these are their words,” explains the teacher of the Echos school to QUB Radio.
The situation is such that many teachers are afraid to come to work. According to QUB Radio, a teacher is even on sick leave after an altercation with students last week.
“These young people are not shy. They primarily threaten girls and teachers with incredible violence. Last week they even set the school on fire,” said another witness QUB was able to speak to.
- Listen to journalist Florence Lamoureux present the testimonies at the microphone of Benoit Durizac and Martine Dumas, President of the Lordships Education Union via QUB radio :
Young people known to the police
The young people who could be the disruptive factors would be known to police and school circles. Some teachers at the Trois-Lacs School Service Center reportedly raised the red flag when certain problem students were transferred to the new Echos school.
They had informed the school service center about the severity of the cases of certain young people and the importance of dividing them into different secondary schools. This recommendation was obviously not followed. The city sent units to provide security. There are also numerous police vehicles patrolling the facility.
“At least two city security units and a police car are on duty every day,” explains an employee.
They are often present to deal with fights or other episodes of violence, but also to push young people gathering in the middle of the street to prevent cars from passing. Since the stretch of road is a dead end, this also becomes a safety issue.
Angry and scared neighbors
Not only teachers and parents are concerned about the situation, but also the school’s immediate neighbors.
This new school was built in the woods of a small residential area of Vaudreuil-Dorion. Most neighbors had chosen this area for several years because of its “quietness” and “peacefulness.”
There has been such chaos since the school opened last August that some are even considering moving.
“I have lived here for 16 years and have seen my children grow up and play in this wooded area,” said an immediate neighbor of the school. We built the house, but it just became uninhabitable. We’re thinking about leaving. “My two neighbors across the street have already put their condo up for sale,” he complains, wanting to hide his identity.
According to several neighbors QUB Radio met, it’s been the same refrain since the beginning of the year. When Monday morning comes, the noise begins: young people walking on private property and throwing their cigarette butts or joints into the grass, young people screaming and shouting, pushing and fighting.
“It seems some of them are armed with hatchets,” explains another neighbor. The young people I have already seen outside my house seem to be out of control. It often takes three to four police tanks to clear them from the streets. »
Some residents say they have been forced to install surveillance cameras to gain some peace of mind.