Catholic Schools

This week, local media reported that 16 students at James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Secondary School in North York were arrested for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl over a period of 18 months.

When this story came out, I was outraged that gang assault and harrassment should happen at all, that the school where it took place should be a Catholic one at that. I am biased against our Catholic school system. I have little faith in the system's ability to cultivate responsible citizens, all the while incurring favourable tax benefits. When I see teenagers conducting themselves destructively, they are invariably in a group, wearing Catholic school uniforms.

For example, near where we live is a Catholic high school. Often, when I am on the streetcar and the crowded streetcar pulls in at the stop where the school is, male students in uniform bang on the streetcar and shake it, because they aren't able to get on. They damage public property and put the lives of passenger at risk by being so unruly.

Just north of The Boy's high school is also a Catholic high school. Once, riding down the bus to get to his school, the bus was assaulted by students from this school throwing snow balls at it. A snow ball hit the driver. He stopped and called for reinforcement.

A large group of students from the same school went down to The Boys' school and harrassed some boys there, trying to start a gay-bashing. The Boys' school had a lock down that afternoon and called in the police. Were they crazy or just stupid? Did they think staff at The Boy's school would not notice? Was it because at their Catholic school, they are used to teachers turning a blind eye to student conduct after 3:oo PM?

And then there are those Catholic priests convicted of sexually molesting boys in their charge.

The news yesterday reported the accused students from James Cardinal McGuigan were in court and were granted bail and released on $1,500 each. But one of the accused's sister said, "I didn't see one white person (at the police station). All these black parents were there, puzzled." Another parent was quoted as saying, "All the accused are black while the victim is white. This is an injustice."

There was more information about the parents suspecting the charges were trumped-up. The process for arresting the students and informing the parents was not fair. One parent called for the black community to stand together to fight this.

This has suddenly become a race issue.

But what about the original charge? Did these students sexually bully and assault someone regardless of their race?

And why are Catholic school students so prone to gang misconduct? What are Catholic schools teaching their students? It's true, I've already condemned these students. I judge them not because they are black. I judge them because they are products of the Catholic school system.