Sydney Burke wants an explanation after her artwork about suicide was deemed too graphic for the classroom.
The 17-year-old created the sketch for her Grade 12 art class at Salisbury Composite High School, part of the Elk Island Public Schools Regional Division.
The piece, drawn on a piece of Bristol board, traces the outline of two faceless silhouettes, side by side.
One of the figures, which appears to have its hand pulled into the shape of a pistol, points its fingers at the temple of the other abstract figure.
Shortly after it was brought to class, it was confiscated by the teacher and Burke was told she needed to make another attempt at the assignment.
“She just said, straight up, ‘You’re not doing this anymore,'” Burke said.
“She said, ‘I took it away because I don’t feel like that’s appropriate for school.”
Inspired by a song
Burke says the never intended for the work to be offensive.
She says the drawing was inspired by the album art and music video for the song “Guns for Hands” by American pop duo Twenty One Pilots.
The song speaks about finding the strength to overcome thoughts of suicide and self-harm, and the band’s lead singer has dedicated the song to people struggling with depression.
After CBC News requested comment from the school Tuesday, the teacher has reversed her decision to confiscate the sketch.
‘There’s kids wearing T-shirts with pot leafs on them, and girls in bikinis and drugs on their shirts at school, and I draw a guy who has his hand in the form of a gun and it’s suddenly a big deal.’ – Sydney Burke
But Burke says she’s still frustrated and confused about the incident.
“There’s kids wearing T-shirts with pot leafs on them, and girls in bikinis and drugs on their shirts at school, and I draw a guy who has his hand in the form of a gun and it’s suddenly a big deal.”
When the project was assigned last week, students were told to draw a silhouette of their choosing and fill it in with abstract patterns.
When Burke came into the classroom Tuesday morning, she couldn’t find her drawing anywhere.
That’s when she was brought out into the hallway and told that if she wanted to continue the class that day, she would need to start over.
“I was really, really upset,” Burke said.
“I was really excited to work on it and it was starting to look really good, so I tried to explain to her the meaning of it but she just kept interrupting me.”
‘It’s a little bit oppressive’
Sydney Burke’s mother, Jen Burke, says her daughter is being unfairly censored in the classroom.
“It’s a little bit oppressive. There should be freedom of expression. Art’s always subjective,” she said.
“She has a right to express herself.”
Burke said she’s not aware of any school policy on graphic images, and has no idea why the teacher felt compelled to confiscate the work, which was never intended to be on public display. A spokesperson with Elk Island Public Schools Regional Division declined to comment on the case, citing the importance of student privacy.
“She’s 17 years old. She’s coming into her own and discovering herself and her own creativity and expressing herself that way, and I felt that she was being censored and oppressed a little bit,” Burke said.
After receiving a sobbing phone call from her daughter, Burke contacted the school. She’s hoping to meet with the teacher involved and the school principal.
“I don’t want her losing her motivation to create, and her motivation to create herself and find her way,” Burke said.
“I don’t want her to lose focus because of something like this.”