Saint John boy goes home in T-shirt after school bolts locker closed

Molly Burgess was taken aback when she saw her 11-year-old son, Mark, come home from school in a distressed state. His face was red, he was crying, and she noticed he was cold and wet. Mark, a Grade 6 student at Barnhill Memorial School in Saint John, had left school that day wearing only a T-shirt and his indoor shoes. His jacket, hat, winter boots, and backpack were all locked away in his school locker.

The weather that day was particularly harsh, with freezing drizzle and a wind chill of -5 degrees Celsius. Mark explained to his mother that his locker had been bolted shut with all his belongings inside. Feeling scared and unsure of what to do, he had left the school without his winter clothes, assuming he was in trouble.

Molly Burgess immediately contacted the school, and the principal, Jill Ferguson, eventually got back to her the next day. However, Burgess was not satisfied with the response she received. Ferguson mentioned that parents had been previously warned in a newsletter about keeping lockers locked, but she assured Burgess that Grade 6 students were not supposed to have their lockers bolted shut.

Despite this, Burgess was determined to see changes made. She advocated for the school to stop the practice of bolting lockers shut at all grade levels. She believed that if lockers were going to be locked, school staff should ensure that students have access to their belongings before doing so.

In response to the incident, Ferguson provided Mark with a new lock that he could easily use. The school had previously instructed students to provide their own locks to keep their personal belongings safe. Burgess expressed concern about what could have happened if a student’s essential items like an epi-pen or house keys were locked away.

Looking back on the situation, Burgess felt that her son’s experience was a best-case scenario considering he had a bus stop close to home. However, she emphasized the importance of ensuring students have access to their belongings and not being subjected to unnecessary discomfort.

Moving forward, Burgess hoped to see a more proactive approach from the school in ensuring students have what they need before locking their lockers. She believed that communication and intervention from staff could prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.