Teachers union raises alarm on school violence

Ontario’s elementary teachers say the “critical lack of support” for children with serious behavioural issues has led to a rise in violent outbursts that puts students and teachers at risk.

And they are calling on the province to address it with more funding for special education and children’s mental health.

“Increasingly we are seeing incidents of aggressive, destructive student behaviour in classrooms,” Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (EFTO), told a news conference Tuesday. “Many of these students are suffering and we need to step up to help them.”

ETFO planned to meet with the ministers of education and labour on Wednesday to highlight how the shortage of supports across the province is affecting schools.

The problem is regularly the no. 1 issue on the table when union representatives across the province meet and something the federation hears about “every single day,” Hammond said.

Too many children as young as 4 or 5 are stuck on long wait lists for the early interventions they need — including assessments that would give them access to supports. Even then, those resources are inadequate to meet the growing demand, he said.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said Tuesday the government is currently holding consultations to develop a new strategy to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.

It is “a top priority for us,” she said. “We want our education workers and staff, we want our students when they walk into a school, to feel that safety. We want to ensure that they have the resources in place.” With files from Kristin Rushowy