Safe Schools for Whom? An analysis of policy, austerity and ‘workplace violence’ in Ontario elementary schools

Abstract

Education workers, unions, and federations have been raising concerns about workplace violence in schools since the early 2000's. A document analysis of Ontario's elementary school legislation (2000-2020) documents how the Ministry of Education has accounted for student-on-teacher harm. While the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Education have not yet acknowledged workplace violence in schools, the Ministry of Labour acknowledged issues of workplace violence in schools in 2018. This work demonstrates debates over defining and measuring rates of violence in Ontario schools and reflects on how academic attention on the issue has been divergent. My research highlights the prevalence and impacts of workplace violence, emphasizes the intersectional and gendered nature of the issue, and considers the concerns of conceptualizing elementary student behaviour as 'violent.' An anti-carceral approach to addressing workplace violence is discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.