Violence on the rise in schools, survey of Ontario elementary teachers says

Over half of elementary school teachers in Ontario have experienced violence in schools, according to  a new survey by the union representing elementary-school teachers. Photo via pexels.com

By Julia Lennips

BELLEVILLE – Violence in Ontario elementary schools is growing, a new survey of teachers has found.

An independent survey conducted by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario in 2017 an released this month says that 70 per cent of federation members have experienced or witnessed violence in elementary schools.

Kerry Donnell, communications officer at the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, told QNet News, “We’re aware (the federation) has released the survey. We still are taking some time to review it thoroughly. Students and staff are entitled to a safe learning and working environment. We know that, and we take the issue of safety very seriously.”

School boards in Ontario must comply with laws like the Ontario Health and Safety Act, the Ontario Occupational Safety Act, the Education Act and requirements through the workplace safety and insurance board, Donnell said.

“The safety and well-being of our students and employees is always a top priority for us,” she said.

Issues that are brought to school staff or principals are investigated right away, Donnell said.

“It is our practice to investigate any and all issues, whether they are violence-related, bullying-related or just conflict – whether it be conflict amongst students or staff members.”

Awareness and conversation are good ways to work through important topics and help with resolving issues, Donnell said. Conversations with all parties involved need to take place in order to come to a resolution that’s satisfactory for everyone, she added.

Teachers and administrators at the board are regularly offered training on how to engage in respectful environments, she said. One type of training is therapeutic crisis intervention, in which participants acquire skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to respond to people in crisis.

“It’s our normal practice that we analyze any incident reports that come in to see how we can improve our training and our programming to provide additional support,” Donnell said. “We use these reports as a lens to review our current school board policies and procedures that address the safety of learning and working environments for our students and staff.”