Sask. education minister responds to incident of student being lit on fire

Saskatchewan’s education minister says the incident at a Saskatoon school where a student was set on fire is "horrible," but could have been worse.

A 15-year-old girl was doused in a flammable substance and lit on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate on Thursday. She was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital and is suffering from serious injuries, according to police.

Sean Hayes, a teacher at Evan Hardy Collegiate who tried to put out the flames and help the student, was also injured.

The child’s classmate, a 14-year-old girl, has been charged with attempted murder.

Jeremy Cockrill, the province’s education minister, said he received a call about the incident on Thursday night.

"Really just a horrible incident. Nobody goes to school expecting that to happen. Certainly, relieved that nobody was hurt worse than they were," Cockrill told journalists in response to a question about the arson attack.

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"As unfortunate as the situation is, and I know we've got people recovering from injuries, I can't help but think it could have been worse and so I'm glad it wasn't."

Monday marked the first time the education minister commented on the situation.

Cockrill said he takes classroom safety "very seriously."

"In terms of providing additional supports, we've provided significant additional funding to school divisions to hire more staff this year. I'm open to having a discussion around more school resource officers," Cockrill said.

Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck said she’s reached out to the victim’s family and is "hoping for the best possible outcome for those who’ve been injured."

"I don't know the particulars of the case, but I do know that kids in schools right across this province are going up without the supports that they need and that has very real consequences for those students," Beck said.

Classes at Evan Hardy Collegiate were cancelled on Friday and Monday and counselling services were provided to students and staff.

Donations for the student and teacher have been pouring in on GoFundMe. More than 1,294 donors have contributed to the two campaigns — both exceeding their financial goals.

Flowers and signs of support have been placed at the front of Evan Hardy Collegiate.

Class is set to resume on Tuesday.