Calgary students stage walkout over sexual assault, harassment concerns

Chants of "hear us, protect us" by dozens of high school students could be heard outside of Central Memorial High School in southwest Calgary Tuesday morning.

Among the crowd gathered, many carried signs with slogans saying "no means no" and "enough is enough".

Students at both Central Memorial in the city's southeast and Western Canada High School in the southwest staged walkouts today because they say reports of sexual harassment and assaults by other students are being ignored.

"The silence on these issues and refusal to stand up for what is right is appalling and leaves a stain on the proud legacy these schools claim to have," said Central Memorial Grade 11 student Jade Sather. She was reading from a statement prepared by students from both school.

She says students are fed up with school officials either downplaying or ignoring their complaints about groping, cat calling, or even more serious sexual assault allegations that have been brought forward. 

"Because it makes you feel powerless and it treats people like objects and it shouldn't be a part of anything that has to do with school."

Sather says among their concerns is that when students report incidents of sexual assault, they are not followed up on appropriately, are met with disinterest or are ignored.

The Calgary Board of Education wrote in a statement that it is aware of these allegations, but that officials couldn't comment on them specifically.

"Ensuring that school environments are safe for all students is critically important to the CBE," the board said in a statement.

"The CBE has a process for working with families and students to address concerns and reports of this nature. We take these matters seriously and where required, we also support students and families to work with CPS."

Sather says she wants to see the CBE acknowledge that things must change. Part of that, she believes, is seeing consent featured prominently in the CBE curriculum.