Sask. teachers call on province to address safety in classroom

Current and former teachers and educational assistants gathered outside Saskatoon city hall on Wednesday afternoon, calling on the provincial government to give more funding to schools to help teachers deal with violence in the classrooms.

Their latest call to action comes just weeks after a 14-year-old girl was arrested for allegedly lighting a 15-year-old girl on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate.

Karla Sastaunik works with the CUPE Saskatchewan education committee and is also a current long-time educational assistant.

She said a lack of funding and supports that kids need have been cut by governments in the past, leading them to the current challenges they face in the classroom.

“A lot of the kids don’t mean to attack somebody or become violent, but there are no supports in place for them and they just lash out,” she explained.

Sastaunik said being able to help students used to be a lot easier than it is now.

“I used to be able to go and I would work one-on-one with the student over the course of the day,” Sataunik said.

“Then I’d maybe go and have some time with two students in a small group – I’d go work in a classroom with a small group – now I work with maybe one or two of those kids spread out, because they don’t have any full-time supports. There’s no bell-to-bell support anymore.”

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Saskatchewan teachers, educational assistants and other school staff are rallying outside city hall in Saskatoon calling on the province to help them deal with violence in the classroom.

The latest call for action comes following the Evan Hardy incident. @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/UfNnDW95tR

— Shane (@ShaneC06) September 25, 2024

She said being able to help those students and give them the support they need was massive for her in her role.

“Kids weren’t in crisis, staff wasn’t in crisis and there wasn’t anywhere near the amount of violent incidents happening in today’s schools,” she added.

Don McBean is a retired principal of over 30 years and is also an NDP candidate in the upcoming provincial election for the Saskatoon Chief Mistawasis riding.

He suggests the cuts of the past have hurt teachers.

“We’ve never had enough counselors in a school and now we have a quarter of that many,” he said. “They’re a lynch pin to keeping wellness in lots of students.”

He wants there to be more money directed to helping get more EA’s and counselors working in schools.

“When it comes down to the dollars of it, it’s the EA’s (who need it),” McBean said.

“I know of a case right now that they need two EA’s full-time with a student in order for that student to be safe and to help that student integrate into the classroom and he’s already making great progress, but it takes two EA’s. That’s straight up money and dollars at that point.”

McBean acknowledged there is no simple solution to fixing the problem teachers face.

CUPE along with the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation also pointed out a survey from the University of Ottawa which reiterated the issues around violence in the classrooms that teachers are facing.

According to the university survey, almost three-quarters of respondents experienced one attempt of physical force from a student.

Eighty-five per cent of respondents also said they had witnessed at least one student-initiated act, attempt or threat against a co-worker.

Seventy-eight per cent reported at least one incident or more where a student-initiated harassment such as the refusal to respect authority, swearing and offensive remarks.