The violence of students – and sometimes parents – towards school staff is a subject that we have heard more and more about in recent months and that is a good thing.
Incidents reported by members of the school support sector of the FEESP-CSN, which represents 35,000 support employees working in schools across Quebec, have been piling up in recent years.
Many people affected
Perhaps you are wondering who are school support workers? It’s the school secretary who calls you when your child is sick. The daycare educator takes care of your child before and after class.
It is the student supervisor who ensures the safety of your child during recess and during lunchtime. It is the special education technician who accompanies your child who faces particular challenges in class. It is the janitor who ensures the cleanliness of your child’s place of learning.
School support workers are embodied in 81 job categories that provide a living environment conducive to your child’s learning. And none of these people is spared from acts of violence committed by students and sometimes by their parents.
Not a new problem
In 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic and as part of the previous public sector bargaining, a consultation tour of our members was held in all regions to determine our union demands.
The issue of violence suffered by support staff at the hands of students was already one of the important issues raised. That’s over five years ago. The problem has therefore been recognized for a long time and that is why we have made it a priority. Since then, we have tirelessly sounded the alarm so that this issue is taken into account by the government and by our employers.
The government must better “heal” our working conditions and the violence that is, alas, part of it. We must act. It is imperative to stop trivializing violent acts against school support staff. It is also necessary to ensure that the employees concerned are involved in the development and implementation of solutions to curb this scourge, particularly in the context where the phenomenon seems to be gaining momentum.
The public sector negotiations that are getting underway are an opportunity to seize for action.
Photo provided by Audrey Larouche
Audrey Larouche, vice-president of the main union group of school support employees in Quebec (school support sector of the Federation of Public Service Employees (FEESP-CSN))