Parents must demand answers
People need to hear what is happening in their children’s classroom from their children
Teachers have no voice here. If change is going to come, it will have to start with parents.
An out-of-control six-year-old in the Peel District School Board is handcuffed by police. Two parents in the Toronto District School Board are suing the board, claiming the board has neglected the safety of their children. The Hamilton Wentworth school board spends $1.6 million dollars on taxis; many of the students in cabs are ‘unfit’ to ride the bus; but not unfit to go to school. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, recently spoke out on the issue of rising student violence that makes the school environment unsafe for their peers and staff. What is going on? Unfortunately, this seems to be an issue people don’t want to think about, much less discuss. Violent and uncontrollable behaviour of students, especially elementary students, is on the rise. After Hammond’s statements, which were widely covered in the media, there was very little response. The Minister of Education did respond with some motherhood statements about safety in schools, but no meaningful response. School boards won’t speak, because they don’t want to give the impression there are out-of-control students in their schools. Teachers can’t speak because they are afraid of punitive reaction from their employers.
On a regular basis, educational assistants, teachers and administrators are assaulted — punched, slapped, scratched, kicked, with glasses and clothing damaged. I don’t believe this should be part of an educator’s job. There are students in many schools who have, as part of their “Safe Intervention Program” an “evacuation” protocol. This means that when a teacher recognizes the signs that a student is about to lose it, they evacuate all students from the class. Until an adult trained in restraint shows up, the troubled child is left in the class, often destroying everything they can get their hands on. It’s not uncommon. Imagine a teacher trying to get their class to settle down after witnessing that. Imagine the impact on students and staff when this type of thing happens on a recurring basis.
The children who are creating this kind of havoc are troubled individuals who need help — serious help, help that schools are not capable of providing. Major social and mental health issues are not the kinds of things for which classroom teachers are trained. One-on-one counselling, behaviour modification treatment-these are the things that are required, but that is costly. Where is the money required going to come from??
On Jan. 25, Canada had its annual “Let’s Talk” day, where we are encouraged to openly discuss issues around mental health. Well, this is a difficult conversation. But we need to have it because this is not a school issue, it is a societal issue. We have a situation where troubled students in need of serious help are wreaking havoc in schools all over the province. Schools are not equipped to deal with these issues. Increased support is required.
So, what do we do? Do we start talking, or do we keep quiet? In the meantime, students with issues continue to suffer, as do their peers and adults in their building. It behooves parents to talk to their children about their classroom environment. Teachers have no voice here. If change is going to come, it will have to start with parents. Parents need to hear what is happening in their children’s classroom from their children. They then need to ask tough questions to school administrators, board official and politicians.