*redacted name* is a grade 9 student at Island View High School in Eastern Passage. According to his Mom, Becca Sue, He just started going this past September.
On Friday, January 16th 2026 according to the school principal, Randolph Sullivan, 2 people who did not attend Island View High School entered the school, and assaulted a student (*redacted name). See the official email below.
What isn’t said, is the reasoning. Which I had asked his mother if she had known.
Allegedly her son and another student (a female) were play fighting where he accidentally hit her in the face. He apologized for the accident and everything appeared to be fine. That was until the girl told her boyfriend (not a student at Island View) who then arrived at the school with another person within an hour of this accidental hit. What is even more alarming is that these 2 people came right in the front door, masked, and had the ability to physically assault another student before any teachers, administration or adults among the school were alerted. Not to mention that a student who felt the need to steal *redacted names vape while he was being kicked and punched on the ground.
The altercation happened around 12:45pm. Based on a video I seen which is too graphic to share here, a person in Purple (The boyfriend apparently) grabbed *redacted name by his throat backing him into the wall/corner. He then punched his head for a minimum of 10 blows. Which the camera darted away and both the person in Purple and Brown can be seen kicking for a minimum of another 4 times. This brutal assault then finished as fast as it started when the assailants were able to leave through a side door. I am told the reason why it stopped was an adult heard the situation and went over.
Becca was alerted by a phone call from the principal, where he had informed her that “there was an incident that had happened in regards to her son.” She said the conversation seemed strange in giving no specifics to the situation, just stating an “incident” and passing the phone to her son who then clarified he had been jumped by 2 individuals. She immediately went to the school however the ambulance had already left and taken *redacted name to be seen by medical professionals at a near by hospital. Where they say he has a bad concussion, and bruising. Physically he will be okay in time, mentally being assaulted in a building the government is claiming is a safe space for our children, may take far longer to heal from.
This should raise the question, how safe are these schools?
According the Provincial School Code of Conduct approved date released is April 2025, All Members of the school community are responsible for keeping the environment safe.
In a recent freedom of information act request, it shows what is listed as “unacceptable behaviors” within designated school boards. This information likely won’t be clarified due to being charged fees that an average person simply cannot afford for the labor it takes to find said information, the numbers are alarming. And this is not including this type of assault where masked people breech the school security.
At the point of writing Becca Sue had spoken with the principal Randolph Sullivan, MLA Barbara Adams, as well as Scott Hickman whom is the School Supervisor. All seemed to be apologetic for the situation and saying there will be changes to prevent this type incident, an assault, from happening again. There also have not been any type of counseling offered to her son to perhaps help discuss this situation and how to move forward in a school that is difficult to trust.
The truth is this type of behavior has been happening for years. From students among the same school to now outsiders making their way into a school to assault or intimidate a student. I encourage anyone who has stuck around thus far to email your MLA (They can be found here). As well as the Minister of Education, Brendan Maguire who can be reached here. This being the email: educmin@novascotia.ca. Questions I encourage you to ask are:
– What safety measures are in place to prevent unwanted people from entering the school?
– Are all side, and back doors fully locked during the day, with the main doors being the only entry point?
– Is there a staff member watching the main doors during breaks, lunch, or any other period where traffic may increase through said doors?
– Are staff using school IDs to identify who goes to the school?
– Are outside people required to sign in with the main office once entering or exiting the school?
– Are there cameras within the school to help identify people in an event an incident does happen? Are there blind spots?
If you do send emails do your MLA or to Brendan Maguire, I also encourage you to share when/if they choose to not respond to emails, phone calls, etc. They are the people who are overseeing the safety and wellness of schools and need to be held accountable if they are ignoring their community members.
The fact is, had this person had a weapon, a knife, gun, whatever else, this situation could have quite possibly been fatal. The fact 2 masked intruders have entered a school to assault a student, and slip right out of the side door as fast as they entered the front, should be alarming to any parent who has a child within the public school system. Regardless if this was random or not, this level of non-existent security is not enough. There needs to be more done.
*** RCMP Investigation ongoing.
Stacey J. Girard 