New Data Confirms Alarming Rise in Violence in Ontario Schools: OSBCU Demands Urgent Action from Ford Government

TORONTO, ON –(COMMUNITYWIRE)– A new investigative report by Global News has exposed a dramatic 77 percent rise in violent incidents in Ontario schools since the Ford government took office —confirming what education workers have been sounding the alarm on for years. With over 4,400 violent incidents reported in the 2023–24 school year alone, the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) is calling for immediate investment in staffing and student supports.

The OSBCU is calling on the Ford government to implement a comprehensive plan to address violence, starting with immediate investments in frontline staffing, student supports and mental health resources. The root of the problem lies in chronic underfunding and severe understaffing.

“This is not just a spike — it’s a full-blown crisis,” said Joe Tigani, President of OSBCU. “Violence is now a daily reality in Ontario schools, and the Ford government continues to ignore the evidence: the workers and students at the heart of this crisis.”

Earlier this year, the OSBCU released its own report, based on 12,000 respondents from education workers across Ontario, revealing that 74.6 percent of education workers experience violent or disruptive incidents in their work area — with over a third facing these incidents daily. Among Educational Assistants and Child and Youth Workers, the numbers are even more alarming: 95.8 percent report experiencing violence at work, and over half experience it every single day.

Evidence of the crisis is further supported by the Running on Fumes report, written by Darby Mallory, Chris Bruckert, Hanya Ismail, and Darcy Santor at the University of Ottawa earlier this year, which documented the growing rate and impact of violence in Ontario schools. The report highlighted that education workers are being pushed to the brink, students are going without the support they need, and the system is being held together by frontline workers who are expected to sacrifice their safety and well-being daily. The findings make it clear that violence is not an isolated issue — it is a symptom of systemic neglect.

Unfortunately, instead of hiring thousands more education workers and properly funding public education, it seems that the Ford government’s response to the violence crisis is introducing its unnecessary Bill 33, which increases provincial control over school boards and mandates the reintroduction of School Resource Officers (SROs) — police in schools.

“Throwing more police into schools won’t fix this,” said Tigani. “Bill 33 is nothing more than a smoke-and-mirrors distraction. It centralizes control and brings back policies that have

already been proven to harm marginalized students. What students need are more education workers in classes to create the conditions that will prevent violent incidents from happening”

The OSBCU calls on the Ford government to immediately increase funding to the public education system, hire more staff and implement a real strategy to make schools safer for everyone.

“Our students deserve better. Parents deserve better. Education workers deserve better,” said Tigani. “We need real action—not political theatre.”

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For more information, contact:

Shannon Carranco , CUPE Communications       
scarranco@cupe.ca  
514-703-8358