What is the Ontario Government doing about the violence in schools?

BY PAUL JUNOR

The issue of violence in Ontario schools has been one that has been a priority for the diverse stakeholders in the education system. On January 22^nd, 2025, many leaders of Ontario’s education unions came together for a Safe at School Summit hosted by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers” Federation (OSSTF/FEESO). Details about the summit were released in a press release which was issued on January 23^rd, 2025. It includes educators, unions, researchers, children’s mental health experts, disability advocates, principals’ organizations, school board directors, civil society, community leaders, and political decision makers to address the growing crisis of violence in Ontario schools.

Karen Littlewood, President of OSSTF/FEESO states in the press release, “Violence in Ontario’s schools cannot be normalized. Right now, we are failing students and staff in schools across Ontario as the number of violent incidents continue to increase. We convened the summit, because this crisis requires swift and effective solutions to end the violence, yet the Ford government has so far failed to act. They’ve left us with no choice but to act without them.”

“The need for a Safe School Action Table is urgently needed to address the issue of ongoing violence against teachers in public schools.”

Dawn Hoffman, Principal Researcher at Strategic Communications, Inc. was primarily involved in conducting research over the years that examined the state of violence in Ontario schools. He states in the press release, “Multiple research studies in the past several years by us and others on behalf of several education unions, have demonstrated alarming levels of violence aimed at educators and education workers in Ontario’s schools.”

Hoffman mentions studies conducted on behalf of OSSTF/FEESO, which reveal that thirty percent of OSSTF members have experienced physical force being used against them in the 2022-2023 school year. In addition, Stracom conducted a survey for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) that was subsequently released by the University of Ottawa in which education workers revealed that what they are witnessing is an “epidemic” in Ontario schools.

There was the release of a white paper commissioned by the OSSTF/ FEESO that listed several recommendations. At the summit, many participants collectively worked together to develop actionable solutions. Some of the solutions include the following:

• The Minister of Education should create a multi-stakeholder Safe at School Action Table mandated to develop a comprehensive Safe at School Action Plan.
• The Minister of Education should expand funding and eligibility for safe school grants to allow school boards to hire additional qualified staff such as: professional student support personnel, educational assistants, and other education workers in the public education system
• The Minister of Education should create a sector-specific regulation for the education sector under the Occupational Health and Safety Act that considers and addresses the unique nature of education workplaces. The regulation should include the requirement that school board workplace violence and prevention plans and programs must be developed in consultation with a multi-site Joint Health and Safety Committee
• The Government of Ontario should implement a dedicated tuition waiver to attract students into education programs for education occupations experiencing shortages
• Unions, school boards, and administrators should develop joint campaigns on building non-violent cultures in schools.

The press release concludes with OSSTF/FEESO urging the government to take immediate action and commit to working collaboratively with Summit participants to make Ontario’s schools safer. A top priority must be the creation of a multi-stakeholder Safe at School Action Table with a mandate to develop a comprehensive Safe at School Action Plan.

President Littlewood states, “This is not just about ending violence; it’s about building schools where every student feels supported, and every staff member feels safe. We’re calling on everyone-from policymakers to parents-to join us in making this vision a reality.”