TORONTO — A high-ranking Toronto police officer investigating allegations of assault and sexual assault at St. Michael's College School says private schools should establish rules for reporting crimes to authorities similar to the ones all public schools have in place.
Insp. Domenic Sinopoli, head of the sex crimes unit, says all public school boards in the city have signed protocols with the Toronto police that spell out the institutions' responsibilities and the response to incidents where police involvement is required.
He says private schools such as St. Michael's, an all-boys' institution that teaches grades 7 to 12, do not have such agreements with police.
The Roman Catholic school has been at the centre of a police investigation into at least six incidents involving allegations of assault and sexual assault — some captured on video.
Six students from the school were arrested on Monday and charged with assault, gang sexual assault and sexual assault with a weapon in connection with one of the incidents.
St. Michael's failure to promptly report the incidents to police has raised questions about how private schools handle such incidents and whether more government oversight is needed.
