SASKATOON — Education support workers are sounding the alarm on violence that is happening in public schools, with a recent survey showing a large number of them had experienced violent behaviour in the schools where they are assigned.
The Saskatchewan division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in a statement, cited the incident at Evan Hardy Collegiate early this month, where a student set her classmate on fire, causing severe injury to the latter and some staff of the school.
CUPE Saskatchewan said that the incident had a direct impact on the province’s educational support workers and is one of the many examples of rising cases of violence happening in schools, with 70 per cent saying they have experienced violence in the last three years.
CUPE school members include administrative assistants, caretakers, community school coordinators, education assistants, library technicians, maintenance staff, nutrition workers, school bus drivers, social workers, teacher aides, tech support, and trained specialists.
CUPE Saskatchewan’s Education Workers’ Steering Committee Chair Karla Sastaunik said the Evan Hardy incident should serve as an eye-opener for the provincial government, as it may have resulted from years of underfunding and cuts to staffing.
“It is unacceptable for educators to be unsafe at work or for Saskatchewan kids to be going without the support they need. The provincial government must develop an urgent plan to address these issues,” she said.
Sataunik added that many CUPE members are support staff who work to keep the schools where they are assigned safe and assist students with complex or special needs.
CUPE 8443 President Dene Nicholson said their union offers their support to everyone in the Evan Hardy community who had been affected by the tragedy, especially to the victim and her family and those staff who were hurt while on the job.
“Our members love their students and their jobs, but it is getting harder to stay safe at work. Deep cuts to provincial funding levels while we see increasing enrollment and student need can leave workers in unsafe situations,” said Nicholson.
CUPE, representing over 7,000 workers in the Saskatoon Public Schools, will hold a rally on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. at the Saskatoon City Hall to call on the provincial government to take immediate action to address school safety issues.
