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Ontario’s education leaders unite to end violence in schools: OSSTF/FEESO calls for Safe School Action Table

On Tuesday, January 22, 2025, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) hosted a groundbreaking Safe at School Summit, bringing together educators, unions, researchers, children’s mental health experts, disability advocates, principals’ organizations, school board directors, civil society and community leaders, and political decision makers to address the growing crisis of violence in Ontario schools. This event marks a critical turning point in the collective effort to ensure safe and supportive learning environments for every student, teacher, and education worker across the province.

“Violence in Ontario’s schools cannot be normalized,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Karen Littlewood. “Right now, we are failing students and staff in schools across Ontario as the number of violence incidents continues to increase. We convened the summit because this crisis requires swift and effective solutions to end the violence, yet the Ford government has so far failed to act. They’ve left us with no choice but to act without them.”

The Summit featured in-depth discussions on the systemic issues fueling school violence, including chronic underfunding of public education, which has resulted in insufficient supports and services for students and a growing strain on classrooms due to severe staffing shortages.

Dawn Hoffman, Principal Researcher at Strategic Communications, Inc. stated, “Multiple research studies conducted in the past several years by us and others on behalf of several education unions, have demonstrated alarming levels of violence aimed at educators and education workers in Ontario’s schools. Our research shows that upwards of three in ten OSSTF members alone had physical force used against them in the 2022-2023 school year. Compounded with data from a survey conducted by Stratcom for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) during the same period, and studies released at the University of Ottawa among education workers, we are seeing what could reasonably be called an epidemic in Ontario schools.”

To view the full January 23, 2025 Media Release, please visit the OSSTF/FEESO Provincial website.

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Safe at School: OSSTF/FEESO White Paper on Building Safer School Communities

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