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If You Have Experienced Violence at School
As stated from the outset of this primer, teachers and school staff should not have to live with violence in their workplaces. School-based violence is an issue of workplace safety.
The following strategies can guide you in coping with this difficult experience:
- Contact your local and/or district union officer for support to know your rights.
- Know your rights and responsibilities when it comes to following incident reporting procedures at the school and school board policies.
- Understand the processes of how to take medical and other leaves of absence, if necessary.
- Investigate the possibility of submitting WSIB claims following an incident of violence against you.
- Following an incident of violence, keep handwritten notes in a notebook in pen in case of a future legal process.
- Ensure you access mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health supports to recover.
If you or a colleague are experiencing or witnessing workplace violence, contact your union immediately for support and for guidance on your right to refuse unsafe work.
Resources
The following resources may support you in coping with a situation of workplace violence:
- Dire non à la violence
- Plan d’action provincial pour contrer la violence dans les milieux scolaires de l’AEFO
- L’AEFO lance son microsite sur la violence en milieux scolaires : un outil centralisé pour agir avec assurance
- Workers Rights Resources
- Workplace Health and Safety Resources
- Workplace Violence and Harassment Against Teachers: Results of a comprehensive members survey June 2017
- Safer Schools for All Addressing Violence and Harassment Against Teachers: Report September 2017
- 2026 Report: Violence in Classrooms is Rising, The System is Under Strain / A System Under Strain: Violence and Harassment in Ontario Schools
- Startling OSSTF/FEESO school violence survey results reveal need for emergency funding - 2023
- SAFE AT SCHOOL OSSTF/FEESO White Paper on Building Safer School Communities January, 2025