Councillor Maria Augimeri was in tears Tuesday morning outside a school near Keele St and Wilson Ave where a five-year-old girl was killed after class Monday.
But they were not only tears of sadness. They were tears of frustration too. The frustration is with Toronto parents dropping their kids off and picking them up from school.
“Everyday they break the law,” Augimeri told reporters. “Every school has this issue.”
Toronto Police have not yet offered a clear explanation for why a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV with no driver inside rolled into little Camila and her dad, killing the kindergartener. Police have not made any determination on potential charges in the case.
Before the fatal impact, the Sante Fe had been parked in spot outside St. Raphael where signs show stopping is prohibited 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Camila’s family’s SUV was in a 15-minute drop off spot.
Const. Clint Stibbe with the Traffic Services branch of Toronto Police tells NEWSTALK 1010 rule-breaking is a problem in just about every school zone in the city. And the offenders are the people you would think would most prioritize child safety.
“Quite often what we do see is it is the parents of the children trying to pick up or drop off their children that are bending the rules in order to make convenient for themselves.” Stibbe says bad behaviour can range from parking where you shouldn’t, go ignoring stop signs crossing guards and double parking. He says it’s important to remember that school zones are designed to keep kids safe on their way in and out of school.
Siobhan Morris
Parents and students belonging to the St. Raphael community added to a memorial for Camila on their way to school Tuesday with toys, flowers and notes. One boy who looked to be about four-years-old stood on his toes to reach over a retaining wall and add his contribution: a small stuffed giraffe. He pushed the animal through the snow to join the others, but his tiny arms could not reach far enough.
In the school yard, students stood along the fence watching reporters, naming off the media outlets they recognized and recalling hearing their school’s name on the news.
Michael Caccamo, a superintendent with the Toronto Catholic District School Board said Tuesday that the school is in “grief and shock and mourning.” Fighting back tears, Caccamo conceded explaining to children as young as four and five that their classmate has been killed is difficult.
Michael Caccamo, a superintendent of with the Toronto Catholic District School Board explains the difficult task of explaining to kindergarteners that one of their classmates has died pic.twitter.com/eSNVaiSz11
— NEWSTALK1010 (@NEWSTALK1010) January 16, 2018
“There’s prayer, there’s taking about it, there’s being present to the children. Because of the young age we need to be careful with what is shared but we want the children to be assured that we are there to support them.”
Social workers and staff with a background in psychology were at the school Tuesday to help.