An anxious student pokes her teacher in the arm with a pencil to get her attention and accidentally breaks skin. A little boy with a history of outbursts throws a wooden building block out of frustration, hitting a teaching assistant in the leg, leaving a large, painful welt.
While teaching likely isnB次元官网网址檛 the first occupation on the list of high-risk professions, teachers are susceptible to a certain level of violence while working with students.
B次元官网网址淚n most cases these are not nasty, willful acts B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檙e children who have needs that arenB次元官网网址檛 being met and are acting out in some way,B次元官网网址� said Tara Ehrcke, president of the Greater Victoria TeachersB次元官网网址� Association.
According to documents obtained by the B次元官网网址 from WorkSafeBC, there have been at least a dozen incidents of violence against teachers in Greater Victoria schools over the past four years.
But the definition of violence in the classroom is broad. Kim Munro, the districtB次元官网网址檚 director of human resources, said incidents can include when a young child is B次元官网网址渟creaming aggressivelyB次元官网网址� or threatens to throw an object.
B次元官网网址淚n terms of workplace incidents, they tend to be relatively minor B次元官网网址� usually involving students at the elementary school level,B次元官网网址� Munro said.
And while many of the documented incidents didnB次元官网网址檛 result in physical injury, some have led teachers to feel their workplace isnB次元官网网址檛 safe.
In October 2012, a teacher at Macaulay elementary was injured as a result of being B次元官网网址渁ssaulted by a student. Subsequent to that the worker refused to have the student in the classroom,B次元官网网址� reads a WorkSafe document.
Reports donB次元官网网址檛 identify teachers by name, and the severity and details of the incidents remain unknown.
WorkSafe reports over the last four years indicated to the district it needed to improve practices for recognizing the potential for violence, and provide clearer instructions to teachers on reporting violent behaviour.
B次元官网网址淭he only difference between a near miss and a fatality is the outcome. It is essential that near misses are investigated with (an) eye to determining root cause,B次元官网网址� wrote WorkSafeBC inspection officer Dawn Ianson in a report to the Greater Victoria School District in December 2012.
A November 2011 incident at Rockheights middle school in Esquimalt where a teacher believed she was at risk of being injured by a student led Ianson to order the district to better instruct teachers how to spot signs and triggers that could lead to violence.
Michael Colussi, manager of occupational health and safety with SD61, said the Rockheights order prompted the district to expand its violence prevention program.
B次元官网网址淎s an organization we took that very seriously,B次元官网网址� Colussi said. B次元官网网址淰iolence prevention is something that the school district has been working on in one form or another ever since I was here. Violence is unacceptable.B次元官网网址�
The new program has been rolled out at all 52 of the districtB次元官网网址檚 worksites. It is more robust and fills the gaps identified by WorkSafeBC, Colussi said.
B次元官网网址淚 think because of the amount of training weB次元官网网址檝e done, the awareness around the definition of violence in a school environment is quite heightened,B次元官网网址� he said.
Ehrcke, the GVTA president, acknowledges that violence typically stems from patterns of behavioural issues. And behavioural issues typically continue when identified students donB次元官网网址檛 have supports B次元官网网址� like teacher assistants B次元官网网址� in place in the classroom. The teachersB次元官网网址� union says it all comes to down to the province underfunding school districts.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not surprised at all this has come to a point where weB次元官网网址檙e having teachers in unsafe working environments,B次元官网网址� Ehrcke said.
B次元官网网址淯nless we see a reinvestment in schools, I think these problems will grow and get worse.B次元官网网址�
A spokesperson with the Ministry of Education said special needs and special education funding to school districts have increased 60 per cent in the last 13 years.
Ehrcke said teachers are frustrated that the district hasnB次元官网网址檛 allocated enough resources for training, saying instruction is happening in 10-minute increments during staff meetings, as opposed to devoting a half or full day to training teachers.
B次元官网网址淲orkplace violence is on the increase in school districts B次元官网网址� biting, scratching kicking, that kind of thing,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭here are serious and relevant issues here and we need processes in place to ensure everyoneB次元官网网址檚 safety B次元官网网址� workers in the building, but also the children.B次元官网网址�
kslavin@saanichnews.com
