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.

The 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."

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.