16-year-old charged after weapons brought to St. John's high school

Police said Wednesday they arrested and charged a teen for bringing weapons to a St. John's high school earlier this week, while the union representing Newfoundland and Labrador's teachers is calling for action after a "very alarming" moment. 

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said it was called to Waterford Valley High School around 9 a.m. NT Monday morning. 

"A 16-year-old male was taken into custody without incident and charged with causing a disturbance and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose," RNC spokesperson Danielle Barron said in a statement. 

The Department of Education said in a statement that the student, who was not permitted to be on school grounds that day, refused to leave. Police helped removed the student, and the weapons were found after that.

Administrators at Waterford Valley High are implementing "appropriate disciplinary action," the statement said.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association says the incident is just one example of rising violence and threats that its members see too often. 

"This was a very alarming incident. Very disturbing, and it needs to be treated as such," said association president Trent Langdon. 

"It's worrisome. I'm very fearful of the potential that could have existed here." 

Langdon said officials told him that the student had a bladed weapon and a defensive spray "like bear spray."

The association has for months been pulling the alarm on increasing violence in schools, saying that teachers were cumulatively dealing with an average of 29 violent incidents in schools each day. 

A year earlier, in March 2023, multiple teens attacked and bludgeoned a student with weapons outside Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's. The student who was attacked was sent to the Janeway Children's Hospital with head injuries. The youth attackers were charged with attempted murder, but later pleaded guilty to lesser charges. The lone adult involved, Tyler Greening, is awaiting sentencing next month.

Langdon said teachers have to deal with complex issues, including threats to safety. 

"It's that full gamut of issues that arise that teachers are responsible for, so we're imploring government to put in the proper resources that teachers need to prevent [incidents] and offer support," Langdon said.

"It's not just at the school level either...Students have lives outside of school, and many times they're bringing those lives into the school setting. And so it's the community supports, it's the continuation of support that we need to see there. But we also certainly need to see that preventative nature, or preventive approach, that needs to take place early on."