Police arrested a group of boys in relation to a sexual assault at a metro middle school on Monday.
“Four youths were arrested and facing charges in relation to the incident,” RCMP Cpl. Joe Taplin said. “It is the RCMP’s practice not to comment in order to protect the alleged victim.”
Police were called to the school after a student told a teacher about the incident mid-morning, Halifax regional school board spokeswoman Shaune MacKinlay said.
“We’re saying very, very little because of the nature of things,” MacKinlay said.
For privacy reasons, MacKinlay said she couldn’t reveal whether the boys were suspended, but said the school sent home a letter to parents assuring them the school is safe.
“Please know that we feel that there is no ongoing safety issue for our students,” the letter said.
The letter also addresses why the school waited two days to tell parents about the incident.
“There are rumours circulating in our school and community. Surely you can appreciate that due to the fact that this incident is under police investigation there are very few details that we can share,” the letter said.
“Due to the timing of the incident and the police investigation it was difficult to communicate to parents and students prior to today.”
The four boys were released from custody and will appear in youth court at a later date.
