A report prepared by Toronto District School Board (TDSB) staff points to escalating violence at public schools in the city.
For the 2022-2023 school year, the document states that if the current trend continues, the board would be on track to report its highest number of violent incidents since 2000, when it first began tracking that data.
On Wednesday evening, the board held a continuation of a Monday night’s special meeting, which included virtual submissions from parents, youth advocates, trustees and community leaders.
In recent weeks, the country’s largest school board has grappled with rising reports of violence, and numerous lockdowns.
One of the most contentious issues to arise from discussions about possible solutions was the concept of reintroducing police officers to schools.
The decision to scrap the School Resource Officer (SRO) program was made five years ago, following many calls for its dismantling. While SROs no longer walk the hallways at Toronto public schools, the board continues to have conversations with Toronto police.
“While trustees ended the SRO program back in 2017, that didn’t mean the relationship with Toronto police went away,” said TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird. “We have continued to work with Toronto police over the years on urgent safety concerns.
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“The fact is, if we believe there is any imminent threat to our students, staff, or immediate school community, we’re calling 911. We need police to help support us in that.”
In the meantime, Bird says the board has made investments such as more school-based safety monitors, child and youth workers and councillors, social workers and additional staff.
Andrea Vásquez Jiménez was among those applauding the decision to part ways with police in schools.
“The evidence, the research, the reports — what it shows is having police around detrimentally, negatively impacts students,” said the director and principal consultant of Policing-Free Schools.
Vásquez Jiménez says that effect is especially felt by Black, African diasporic communities.
Students staged a walkout on Dec. 2, protesting what they called deplorable conditions at their school. Many called out the board over a lack of teachers and resources, saying it jeopardized their ability to get an education.
Last week, Global News spoke to OSSTF Toronto president Michelle Teixeira about concerns voiced by staff members at York Memorial. Fourteen of them took part in a work refusal, largely due to significant safety concerns.
“Teachers, as everyone does, have the right to work in a healthy and safe workplace. But you know, teachers do what they do because they want the best for their students, and they want their students to feel safe, sometimes more than they want themselves to feel safe,” she said.
“This really has to be a partnership and a conversation between the board and the government, and the unions about how we can increase those supports for students.
“We know that some teachers have actually gone on sick leave because of injuries they’ve sustained in the workplace and even some administration as well at the school. So obviously that’s not acceptable.”
A Ministry of Labour report obtained by Global News details the variety of reasons staff at the school refused to work.
It states that the work refusal was initiated by 12 teachers the morning of Oct. 31. Two additional teachers refused to work at the high school the following day.
One worker reported that “drug related activities and fights among students occur in the bathrooms.” Another cited a lack of “supervision in the hallways.”
Meanwhile, a different staff member claimed that a student reached into their classroom and threw a chalkboard eraser at their head. Multiple teachers reported that they believed their names were on a “jump list” compiled by students.
The school has since been ordered to complete a workplace violence risk assessment by Dec. 9.
On Wednesday evening, the board announced a new administrative team for the west Toronto high school.
On Jan. 9, Donald Drummond will officially become principal of York Memorial. Drummond is currently at Emery Collegiate Institute.
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