Victoria Teachers Report Rising School Violence, Demand Provincial Support

For Carolyn Howe, the numbers in the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association’s new report carry the weight of experiences educators have struggled to describe.

“Like so many of my colleagues, I too have experienced violence on the job,” the GVTA president said. “I've been hit, kicked, scratched, bitten. I've been shouted at and threatened. I've dodged flying objects in my classroom.”

The association is urging the province and Greater Victoria School District 61 to act immediately, saying its report documents a growing epidemic of violence in local schools.

Thousands of Reports Against Staff

The GVTA’s analysis is based on freedom-of-information incident reports from 46 SD61 schools between September 2024 and March 2026. It found 6,187 reports of violence against staff, an average of about 21 incidents a day.

The Victoria findings echo broader concerns raised in Quebec, where teachers reported widespread workplace violence and pressed for provincial action, underscoring how school safety has become a growing issue across the country. That context is also reflected in The Canada Report’s coverage of Quebec teachers reporting 90% experience workplace violence, union urges action.

Those figures do not capture the full picture of violence in schools, the union says, because the data did not track or document student-on-student incidents.

The report describes physical assaults alongside psychological violence, including threats, name-calling and taunting, as well as hateful incidents such as racial and anti-2SLGBTQ+ comments.

One teacher quoted in the report described the “constant vigilance” required to manage violence as “exhausting.” Howe said the issue cannot be accepted as a routine part of school life.

“If we truly want safe schools where all students are excited to spend the day, we cannot have this level of violence taking place every day,” she said.

Teachers Describe a Persistent Strain

The union also surveyed 165 teachers and held a focus group involving 25. In the survey, 95 per cent of respondents said they had experienced violence over the previous 12 months.

The GVTA links the situation to reduced resources and supports for students, especially students with special needs. It argues that underfunding, changes associated with inclusive education and pressure on families at home have left schools without the capacity to meet all students’ needs.

Howe framed that concern as a failure of support rather than a judgment on children.

The report calls for adequate alternative spaces and programming options for students, as well as improved responses and support for staff and students after violent incidents. The association says sending students to a hallway or home in response to violent behaviour can deepen a cycle of escalation and exclusion.

Reporting Can Feel Like Another Job

According to CBC reporting, some teachers do not file incident reports because they lack time or do not feel encouraged to do so.

“We just don't see the issue taken seriously,” Tara Ehrcke, one of the report’s authors, told CBC. “In that context, I think reporting is one more job to do. And so if you're not seeing a response that's helping you, you just don't do it.”

CBC also reported that SD61 employees filed 52 WorkSafeBC claims related to violence in 2025, a 37 per cent increase from 2019. Province-wide, violence-related claims rose 22 per cent over the same period, CBC reported.

The union argues that inadequate staffing and funding for followup after violent incidents have contributed to long-term medical leaves among staff and worsening mental-health outcomes for students.

District and Province Reviewing Report

School District 61 and the province say they need more time to review the GVTA report.

The district said the safety and well-being of students and staff remain its top priority, adding that every educator and student deserves a safe place to work and learn.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care said staff have a right to a safe workplace and should report incidents as needed.

For the GVTA, however, the report is intended as a call for a faster and more substantial response: more support for students before crises escalate, and meaningful help for the people left to manage their aftermath.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4