UPDATED OCT. 2, 2007: Students returned to Toronto's troubled C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute on Tuesday, some concerned about their safety following the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Manners.
Manners was gunned down in a hallway of the school in a chilling daytime shooting last May.
Two 17-year-old males have been charged with his murder.
In an effort to boost security in the wake of the attack, 32 newly-installed cameras greeted returning students, along with two new school safety monitors, new acting principal Jim Spyropoulos and two new acting vice-principals.
While some teenagers said they felt no reason to be afraid, others were nervous about returning to the hallways where violence so recently took place.
"The fact that somebody got shot here, it makes me nervous," student Buruk Kebedon told CTV News.
"I'm just trying to stay calm, that's about it, just trying to get through this day," echoed fellow student Shantel Reece.
Another student said those attending nearby high schools are frightened because of the Manners murder.
Others, though, were excited to see their friends and said that being with a group made them feel more secure.
For parents dropping their children off at school, it was an emotional and nerve-wracking first day.
"I'm a little nervous but I guess there is hope," Sally Ramden, who dropped off her son Jonathan, told CTV News.
"I am hoping that everything is going to be fine. He's starting here this morning."
Last week, the School Safety Community Advisory Panel released an interim report detailing the state of school safety at C.W. Jefferys.
Besides theft, bullying and weapons, the panel found three main problem areas at the institution including:
- Students loitering in the hallways;
- Students being transferred between schools without proper counselling after being expelled; and;
- Student-teacher relationships being strained.
The report delivered to the Toronto District School Board was drafted by a three-member panel, headed by human rights lawyer Julian Falconer. The final report is to be released in November.
Some returning students said they have a renewed sense of security due to an administration change and the school-safety panel's recommendations.
"I've heard a lot about the new principals and I've heard a lot of good things, so I think the school will become a better place, especially with the cameras. There's still hope for Jefferys," a returning Grade 12 student told CTV News on Tuesday.
Following Manners' shocking death, some suggested putting uniformed police officers in schools.
Kike Roach, a Toronto human rights lawyer, said the panel's finding opposed the idea.
"That was the least popular choice as a solution for the problems of systemic violence in the schools," she said outside C.W. Jefferys on Tuesday.
The report concluded increased counselling, remedial programs and additional funding would better solve problems such as fights, drug dealing and gangs, Roach said.
"I think that's important because schools are really here to help people build skills. We want them to learn conflict resolution. We want our students to know how to function in life," she said.
"Police are here to suppress crime. Once they're there, it's too late."
Pastor Bruce Smith, who acknowledged a police presence may be needed in some schools, said he is encouraged by the panel's report.
"For the first time, (the problems) have been talked about," the former Grey Cup champion said outside the school on Tuesday.
"Unless people know what is going on, you can't deal with it. Now it's out in the open. They know there are problems here. Now it's just looking at possible solutions."
After Manners' death, teachers at C.W. Jefferys came forward saying the school had appalling safety conditions including alleged beatings and gun sightings that were ignored by the school's administration.
The principal and one vice-principal are on home assignment with pay after the school safety panel reported allegations it had received that staff didn't follow through on some serious allegations first raised by a teacher. The other vice-principal has now retired as previously scheduled.
The panel is investigating whether the administration failed to report an allegation of sexual assault on a 14-year-old Muslim female student.
With a report from CTV's Scott Laurie
