Violence in schools: union denounces the situation 

Drazen Seslija

At a press conference on May 11 at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, the Union of School Support Staff at the Cœur-Des-Vallées School Board (SPSSCV-CSN) denounced the extreme violence its employees were experiencing. “The calls we are receiving demonstrate that there is extreme violence in our schools,” said Jan-Mark Dufour, president of the Union.

To illustrate the experiences of support staff, including student supervisors, special education staff, and daycare workers, Dufour mentioned highly problematic behaviors such as foul language, death threats, physical blows, bites, attacks with objects of all kinds, unbearable shouting, and even sexual acts, including touching. 

Survey Results

Dufour also highlighted the results of the most recent survey conducted by the Federation of Public Service Employees (FEESP-CSN), which aims to determine the presence of psychosocial risks, the different forms of workplace violence, and the signs and indicators of mental health. The data collected is striking and problematic. Of the approximately 260 SPSSCV-CSN members who responded to the survey, more than half reported having been victims of physical violence or threats of physical violence. “About 40% of our members responded to the survey,” said Dufour.

This violence faced by employees is even pushing some of them to consider leaving their jobs, with 27% of survey respondents stating they are thinking about quitting, according to the union. Annie Charland, president of the FEESP’s school support sector, is now calling on the government, particularly the Ministry of Education, “to act quickly and implement the workplace prevention mechanisms outlined in Bill 101 for the entire education sector.”