Tories don’t want to hear from teachers: union
“Of course (the union) should be there. They are the ones that represent teachers in this province, teachers that are dealing with school violence on the front lines.”
Zach Churchill Liberal Leader
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union will have a lot to say about the auditor general’s upcoming report on violence in school.
But members won’t get a say before then.
The Tory majority decided that the public accounts committee will hear only from the deputy minister of education. This, despite concerns raised by the opposition members on the committee, after the government chose to exclude the NSTU.
NSTU President Ryan Lutes sent a letter Monday asking that the committee reconsider its decision to exclude the voice of Nova Scotia’s almost 10,000 public school teachers and specialists on an issue that has such a profound impact on their students.
“Teachers know first-hand the devastating impact of school violence on children, school staff and their families,” Lutes said in a news release. “It’s disrespectful to these hard-working professionals, dedicated to the betterment and wellbeing of our kids, that their union will not be able to share their perspective at this public meeting.”
In a survey of 1,936 NSTU members last October, 84 per cent of teachers and specialists said the province is not taking appropriate action to keep schools safe.
As one member described in the questionnaire: “Violence is so common in schools, I’m not sure we’re recognizing it anymore. Emotional, mental and physical abuse ‘student to student’ and ‘student to teacher’ is relentless. Our culture has shifted, not for the better, and schools just don’t feel as safe as they used to. We’re always just waiting for the next ‘big event’ that compromises our (and student) safety.”
Premier Tim Houston defended the decision, saying the government listens closely to teachers and has a good relationship with their union.
“The violence in school, we’re concerned about. Students have a right to be safe.”
He said the public accounts committee is not the only way to hear from teachers.
NDP leader Claudia Chender called it a snub designed to silence criticism of government.
“We always risk that legislative committees are just being mouthpieces for government, to just share messages that they want,” said Chender.
She said violence in schools is one reason that 80 per cent of teachers say they’re burned out and may quit.
“This is a huge, huge issue,” she said. “Teachers are on the front lines, their voices and the voices of students are the ones that are most important in this and we’re not going to hear from either of them.”
Liberal leader Zach Churchill said that the government is afraid of what the teachers might say.
“This is a government that’s fixated on avoiding constructive feedback,” he said.
“Of course (the union) should be there. They are the ones that represent teachers in this province, teachers that are dealing with school violence on the front lines.”