B.C. education assistant raises concerns about physical attacks by students with special needs

A B.C. special education assistant (SEA) who says she was assaulted by a student with special needs says she fears ongoing issues with regards to physical attacks in her line of work are going unaddressed.

Kristen Dehal says every day has been a challenge since her workplace injury two years ago.

“I struggled the first year with missed medications,” she said. “I was in and out of the hospital.”

Dehal worked as an SEA at North Vancouver’s Carson Graham Secondary School, supporting children with behavioural challenges.

Shortly after she began working full time at the school in February 2014, she says she was “warned” by others about ongoing problems.

In March 2014, she was seriously injured by a child described as a complex learner unable to regulate aggressive behaviour.

“I was kicked and punched and slammed into a display case,” Dehal said. “I received a concussion that day, I had a big bruise on the side of my face.”

Since then, she says she has battled chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It’s been a struggle. It’s affected my family life. It’s affected my everyday life,” she said.

History of violent incidents

WorkSafeBC documents obtained through a freedom of information request show “19 violent incident reports” were completed between September 2013 and April 2014 for “behaviorally challenged students.”

In February 2014, an inspector also found the district had “not established and maintained a joint health and safety committee.” Another inspection in April 2014 found the district had not “performed a site specific violence risk assessment.”

Both citations violate Occupational Health and Safety regulations.

Dehal and another SEA told Global News they worry ongoing problems are not being addressed.

“There are people who are head-butted and spit on and kicked and punched on a daily basis,” she said. “It’s still the same problem where it’s systemic — it’s from the top-down. There’s nothing in place to support these kids.”

District says issues were addressed

The North Vancouver School District said an occupational health and safety committee did exist at the school in 2014, but they were not publishing their minutes. WorkSafeBC documents show that by the end of February 2014 the district was in compliance.

As for risk assessments, they said the school had just re-opened in 2014, so assessments hadn’t yet been completed. Documents show compliance was achieved by November 2015.

North Vancouver School District’s Deneka Michaud said staff and student safety are priorities.

“These are children and they’re children that don’t have the ability like you and I to regulate these behaviours,” she said. “So it’s not a matter of whether or not we can eliminate them, it’s a matter of how can we plan proactively to be preventative and to help the student be able to diminish the frequency of the physically aggressive behaviour.”

Michaud said violent incidents are on the decline with four incidents so far this school year.

But that isn’t enough to assure Dehal, who says returning to the school isn’t an option for her.

“I’ve never blamed the child that assaulted me,” she said. “There needs to be an airtight plan for each child that is designated with a special need and is going to be included in a school environment.”