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A joint release from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Canadian Union of Public Employees is sounding the alarm over what they call the disturbingly high rates of workplace violence and harassment in Saskatchewan schools. This comes after the release of a study by University of Ottawa researchers that reveal the widespread instances of physical and verbal violence experience in Saskatchewan school.
The release indicates the study, Beyond the Breaking Point: Violence Against Saskatchewan Education Sector Workers, reveals that 84 per cent of education sector workers surveyed about the 2022-23 school year experienced at least one act, attempt or threat of physical force. 87 per cent reported incidents of harassment. The survey included teachers, student support workers, and janitorial and clerical staff.
“Violence and harassment are often the result of students not having the professional support they need to participate successfully in classrooms and the school community,” says STF President Samantha Becotte. “Saskatchewan teachers have been raising the alarm about classroom violence for more than a decade. Years of education underfunding have created a crisis in schools. The study's findings and the shocking personal experiences it chronicles are a dramatic illustration of how government’s neglect of public education has not only impacted the learning conditions of students, but also the working conditions of teachers and educational staff.”
Among the startling findings of the survey are:
• Almost three-quarters of respondents experienced one attempt of physical force from a student.
• Eighty-five per cent witnessed at least one student-initiated act, attempt or threat against a coworker.
• Seventy-eight per cent reported one or more instance of student-initiated harassment, such as refusal to respect authority, swearing and offensive remarks.
• More than half (54 per cent) of respondents experienced harassment by a parent.
“Education support workers have been asked to do more with less for years, but they are at a breaking point. Chronic underfunding and cuts to staffing levels has left our members on the frontlines experiencing violence in schools on a regular basis. It’s unacceptable,” says Karla Sastaunik, chairperson of CUPE Saskatchewan’s Education Workers’ Steering Committee. “This fall, we want Saskatchewan people to vote for more staffing and better funding for our education sector. Saskatchewan kids and educators deserve the support they need.”
The release goes on to say that the perception has become that violence or harassment is “a normal part of the job,” simply because schools lack the resources to do anything about it. Many workers indicated a level of burn out and dissatisfaction with the job due to the ongoing turmoil.
The study also concluded that students who routinely witnessed violence and disruption were subject to experience harm to their access to instruction, capacity to learn and their own emotional well-being.
“Ensuring safe working and learning environments must be a priority for all elected officials responsible for schools and education,” Becotte says. “Teachers and educational staff are frustrated by the failure to recognize the realities faced by our schools and the lack of action by government to address violence and harassment. That’s why the STF’s Vote for Public Education campaign is asking all parties and candidates in this fall’s provincial and school board trustee elections to make a public commitment to address classroom violence. We cannot afford to have committed teachers and educational staff leaving the profession because they are denied the resources they need to thrive as educators and support students.