The Greater Victoria School District is pushing back on a teachers’ report about classroom violence, saying the findings need to be viewed alongside the age, needs and circumstances of the students involved. The district says it takes educators’ safety concerns seriously and recognizes the work of teachers, educational assistants, counsellors, administrators and other employees who support students every day. But in a statement responding to the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association report, the district is questioning both the scope of the data and the language used to describe what is happening in local schools. The GVTA report examined educators’ experiences with physical and verbal incidents in School District 61, drawing on a staff survey and incident reports obtained through a freedom of information request. The district says the GVTA survey had an 8.3 per cent response rate. It also says the district data referenced in the report relates to incidents involving students representing 3.7 per cent of the more than 20,000 students the district serves. Of those incidents, the district says 96 per cent involved young elementary school students. The district says those children are often dealing with challenges involving communication, self-regulation, mental health or disability-related needs. “Behaviour is often a form of communication,” the district said in its statement, particularly when children between five and 10 are still learning how to manage their emotions and respond to stress or frustration. The district says that context should not come at the expense of safety. “While behaviours that raise safety concerns must always be taken seriously and addressed appropriately,” the statement says, schools also have a responsibility to understand what is behind a child’s behaviour. The district says describing the issue broadly as “violence in schools” can obscure that complexity. Using that language, the district said, “risks oversimplifying a complex reality” and could have a harmful impact on families with young children experiencing behavioural challenges. Balancing inclusion and safety The debate also touches on how schools support students with disabilities and diverse learning needs. The teachers’ association has argued that educators need more resources and specialized support to manage increasingly complex classroom needs. The district says inclusive education remains a fundamental responsibility. “Inclusion is both a core value of the District and is a legal responsibility under the BC Human Rights Code,” the statement says. The district also makes clear that it does not see inclusion and safety as competing priorities. “Inclusion is not optional, and neither is safety,” it said. The district says it invests millions of dollars each year beyond provincial supplemental funding to support students with disabilities and diverse abilities. According to the statement, those investments include educational assistants, specialist teachers, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, safety training, sensory spaces and other specialized resources. The district says it wants students to participate meaningfully in school while ensuring employees have a safe place to work. “As students’ needs continue to evolve, our practices must evolve as well,” the district said. It says it remains committed to working with staff, families, Indigenous partners and community organizations to improve learning and working environments. The GVTA, meanwhile, has called for stronger classroom supports and staffing levels that it says would allow educators to better meet students’ individual needs while maintaining safety. The district’s response acknowledges the experiences shared by teachers but takes a different view of what the available data shows and how those incidents should be understood. The debate now puts two priorities side by side: ensuring students with complex needs can learn alongside their peers, and making sure teachers and other school employees have the support needed to keep classrooms safe.
