The B.C. government says temporary school facilities are arriving this week in Tumbler Ridge, as students and teachers prepare to resume classes after the deadly shooting at the town’s secondary school on Feb. 10.
The province says the new facilities will be “single-wide” portables that will be set up on the grounds of the town’s elementary school as part of the first phase in resuming classes “in a safe environment” for Tumbler Ridge Secondary School students.
The first temporary facilities, which included bathroom trailers, began arriving at the elementary school site on Feb. 16, while classroom units will arrive on Feb. 17 and and Feb. 18. There will be 14 portable units in total.
The province also says it expects it will take several days for the units to be set up with water and heating, and for them to be furnished for the returning students and staff, depending on weather conditions and other factors.
Chad Anderson, chair of the Peace River South School Board, the school district that serves Tumbler Ridge, says the board is using a “compassionate, trauma-informed approach” as it provides updates to the school community, families, and the public about a planned return to school “in the coming days.”
“We know routine and community are important to many in the aftermath of a tragedy and we know change can cause uncertainty,” Anderson said in a Feb. 16 statement.
The B.C. government also says work to prepare a “more permanent” learning space with double-wide school trailers has begun at the elementary school site. The larger facilities are expected to arrive “in the coming weeks” and will serve Tumbler Ridge Secondary School “until community input, expert advice and future plans can be confirmed.”
Counsellors will support staff and students in transitioning to the new buildings, and once classes resume, councillors will continue to be available at the new school site, the province says. Additionally, counselling and trauma support is available at Tumbler Ridge Community Centre.
The school board and the province say they will continue to update students, parents, educators, and the community on the next steps “as the community begins to heal and re-establish a sense of safety.”
The victims include five students aged 12 to 13, one educator, as well as the shooter’s mother and half-brother, who were killed at their home. Two of those injured were airlifted to hospital, with one in critical condition.
The Mounties had also said they were investigating the ownership and origin of the weapons they say Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, used to carry out the massacre. Police say Van Rootselaar, who was born male and began transitioning to female about six years ago, had a history of mental illness.
