Members of the Hasidic community stand outside a suspected illegal school where a youth protection operation is underway Wednesday, June 1, 2016 in Montreal. The school is operated by the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community, and it's suspected of operating without an Education Ministry permit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Republished June 01, 2016 - 2:52 PM
Original Publication Date June 01, 2016 - 1:30 PM
MONTREAL - Authorities staged raids at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Montreal on Wednesday because it had no permit from the Education Department to operate.
Police said there were no arrests.
Youth-protection officials intervene when a formal complaint is made and when laws are not respected such as in cases where children are not attending provincially approved schools that follow Quebec's curriculum.
The targeted school is in a neighbourhood with a large Hasidic community.
"We can't comment on a specific case because of confidentiality rules in the Youth Protection Act," said Claire Roy, a spokeswoman for Batshaw Youth Services.
"So we can't give any details for the moment."
Lucie Charlebois, the Quebec minister responsible for youth protection, was just as tight-lipped.
"They went to find out whether the children's development had been compromised," she said in Quebec City.
"I will wait for the results of the investigation. They're on the scene and I won't interfere in the process because they (the youth-protection officials) are autonomous but what we always want is the children to be protected."
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016