Honorable Minister of Education,
I am sending you this letter following the allegations of verbal abuse that shook our schools and all of Quebec this week. The question I ask myself is this: are we doing everything in our power to protect our young people?
I would point out from the outset that the vast majority of teachers do an excellent job and have the well-being and success of the students as their absolute priority. I sincerely thank all the school staff.
There are, however, too many horror stories coming out in the media every week. There is violence in our schools. Can we really make this observation and then stand idly by trusting the measures already in place that should work?
No.
What is the solution?
Better awareness and use of anti-violence and bullying plans in each of our schools?
A framework law to prevent and combat sexual violence?
A professional order for teachers?
Why not explore all of these possibilities?
A professional order has the mandate to protect the public, our children. I myself am a member of an order and I am proud of it. I am proud that a credible organization confirms that I have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform my job. It enhances my profession and the three small letters at the end of my name protect the public.
Why dismiss any potential improvement out of hand by arguing that measures are already in place, when it is possible to study options, get expert opinions and decide whether there would be value added to additional measures?
national protector
I am confident that the new National Student Ombudsman will be a great asset in improving the complaint handling process and also in prevention. However, it does not have all the powers and is not the answer to all the problems of violence.
In fact, contrary to what the parents had requested during the study of the bill on the National Student Ombudsman, the latter has the power to recommend, he cannot force anyone to accept and to implement its recommendations, unless we decide to grant it this power.
I agree with you: education must be THE priority in Quebec. The more means we have to protect our students so that they can learn and develop in a healthy way, and thus reach their full potential, the better it is for society as a whole.
Beyond the existing tools and those that remain to be created, one challenge remains: communication between the school community and parents. Why do parents learn in the media that a violent situation is taking place in their school, when the story has been known (and contained) for months by members of staff? Why parents are not called upon to prevent, raise awareness and take action to protect young people. Parents are stakeholders in the school environment, why are they still treated as visitors, or even problems to be solved?
I don’t know if there is more violence than before in the schools. One thing is certain: we hear more about it. We are at a turning point. The school community and all of Quebec society must seize this opportunity to act to better protect our young people.
Do you agree?
Photo provided by Kévin Roy
Kevin Roy, volunteer parent and president of the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec