Bruises, threats and burnout: Study finds Sask. teachers at breaking point with violence

Educators being punched in the face, choked with lanyards, kicked, and threatened with scissors and pins many teachers, educational assistants and other school staff in Saskatchewan say incidents like these are becoming their reality.

A study by the University of Ottawa, based on responses from education workers, points to escalating levels of violence and harassment in the province's education sector in the 2022-23 school year.

It comes just weeks after an incident at Saskatoon's Evan Hardy Collegiate that left one student recovering from severe burns, and another charged with attempted murder after allegedly lighting her classmate on fire.

The report, prepared by U of Ottawa professors in criminology and psychology, along with two doctoral students studying in those fields, is part of a broader look at national trends that teachers, educational assistants and other school staff are facing, driving many to the brink of burnout, the researchers say.

Dene Nicholson, a library technician in Saskatoon, saysaggression from students is getting worse.

"Biting, kicking, squeezing female breasts I had a report of a student trying to undress their EA. Justall these things happening," Nicholson toldCBC Radio's Blue Skyon Wednesday.

"For a good portion of these students, the intent is not there. It's that they need additional support. But the act itself still affects our people. A violent act has happened, even if there was no intent behind it."

She said it's hard for people who've been punched down, mentally and physically, to put a smile on their faces and go to work every day.

HAVE YOUR SAY: CBC Radio's Blue Skywants to know what you have witnessed at Saskatchewan schools when it comes to violence, and what solutions would keep people at school safe. Tell us your story by fillingout our form here.

The U of Ottawa study included 848 participants, which would be approximately four per cent of the education workforce in Saskatchewan, who completed a survey between Oct. 16 and Dec. 30, 2023. The participants were asked about their experiences with, and the reactions to, violence and harassment in the workplace in the 2022-23 school year.

The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation and CUPE Saskatchewan sent out invitations to their members to participate.

Participants said much of the violence is coming from students who are struggling with unmet needs both inside and outside the classroom, according to the study.

Chris Bruckert, a criminology professor and one of the study's researchers, says those unmet demands combine with dwindling resources to create a perfect storm.

Those students need "early diagnosis, if it's appropriate, and EA support when it's necessary and that's not happening," Bruckert said. "What you end up with is kids who run out of words, and the only language they have left is to strike out."

CBC reached out to Saskatchewan's minister of education for an interview, but the province provided a statement saying all students and staff should be safe at school.

"That is why workplaces in Saskatchewan are required to develop a violence prevention plan to eliminate workplace violence," the statement said, adding the government "will continue working with school divisions to ensure policies and supports are in place to keep students and staff safe."

Saskatchewan NDP MLA Meara Conway echoed the concerns raised by the study, highlighting the growing student population and dwindling staff.

She said if the Opposition party forms government after this fall's election, it would "allow for more supports in the classroom, more teachers, more EAs, more subspecialties that we've seen cut over 17 years of Sask. Party rule."

Threats from parents

However, the report shows that students aren't the only ones initiating the violence. One in five workers reported threats of physical force from a parent. One participant recounted an incident where a mother physically assaulted them, leaving bruises and abrasions.

Darby Mallory, a doctoral student in criminology and another researcher on the study, said for teachers, the province'sParents' Bill of Rights legislation, passed last year, has "shifted the way that they're able to interact with parents."

Some teachers are "feeling like they have to walk on eggshells, because part of the issue around the parents' bill is that there's a lack of clarity aroundthe role that teachers can play," she said.

"Like, somebody spoke of a simple call of trying to speak to a parent about an absence issue for their child turns into them arguing that they're pushing an agenda and grooming your child."

The study also found women were more likely to report incidents than men. It says 91 per cent of women reported at least one act of harassment or violence, compared to 81 per cent of men.

One teacher in the study said, "as a short female, others often try to intimidate me by getting into my space and making threats. There is a lot of verbal confrontation, waving hands and fists in my face."

Eighty-seven percent of workers in the survey said they experienced harassment at least once during the school year.

"I was continually called a stupid b--ch, often told to shut the f--k up and given the middle finger," a participant in the study said.

Mallory said that workers feel deeply saddened by their inability to meet students' needs due to a lack of funding and resources.

Despite facing violence from some students, there is no sense in the data that educators are blaming the children, she said. Instead, they view the situation as a structural issue, recognizing that the students themselves are often victims of an underfunded system.

She quoted one of the participants, who said: "We are told to see the good in them. We do. We love our students, but we can't fix everything and we certainly can't do it alone."