The Upper Grand District School Board has issued a warning to parents after reports of students on their way home being robbed by older youth at Bullfrog Plaza on Eramosa Road.
Parents of Ottawa Crescent students and several other surrounding schools received the letter on Thursday detailing the incidents and that police have been notified.
The letter from principal Ruby Delill suggested students walk in pairs or groups on the opposite side of the street from the mall. Police do patrol the area after school dismissal.
The incident wasn’t targeted at any particular school’s students and it’s not happening at every school either, said Pat Hamilton, Superintendent of Education – Program Services for the UGDSB.
“Bullfrog Mall given its location has been an issue with students as long as I can remember,” said Hamilton. Given the plaza’s location to John F. Ross, the board’s largest secondary school, he said.
The letter was sent to all elementary schools in the area, this includes Edward Johnson, John Galt, Ottawa Crescent and King George. This was to keep the lines of communication open between the community and families, said Hamilton.
"The partnership with police to try and make sure these things don't happen."
Kristie Angst has four children, two of which attend Ottawa Crescent in junior kindergarten and Grade 1. Prior to receiving the letter Angst was unaware of the mugging incident and neither were her children.
“I was just thinking when my kids are old enough to go over there by themselves. It will be in the back of my mind all the time,” said Angst.
She was shocked when she first read the letter and was surprised she hadn’t heard of it sooner. Angst said she thinks the community should be aware of it too.
She said she tries to avoid Bullfrog Plaza at lunch time, before and after school. “It’s just littered with high school students,” said Angst. “It’s very overwhelming and a lot of them are vaping or smoking by the doorways.”
Angst said she also worries about the vulnerable elderly population.
Angst said she would want to stop if she saw something happen at the plaza but wouldn’t want to get involved in a situation she couldn’t handle on her own.
She hasn’t spoken to her children about the situation yet, since she doesn’t want to scare them, and maybe this is where the school should step in and speak to students about it, she said.
Community safety is part of what the school board ensures students in different grade levels are taught, said Hamilton.
"We want our communities to be safe, but most importantly we want our kids to get to and from school safely," he said.
