Violence in the classroom is a major concern for northeastern Ont ...

This time of year represents a fresh start for many in the education sector, but for some teachers, concerns over ongoing violence in the classroom is putting a damper on the experience. 

The president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario's Rainbow local, Liana Holm, says professionals are needed to counter the escalating crisis of classroom violence.

"It's one of the things I hear about on a daily basis," she said.  

"Teachers are worried about going to their classrooms, crying in their cars in the morning before they go into the building because they're afraid," she said. 

Shelly Predum, president of the Algoma elementary teachers, relates a similar experience. Last year, she worked in a classroom with severely autistic students and got hit several times.

"The supports were not there," she said. "It's no fault of the board: they are not responsible for the funding formula of these programs." 

"Funding is based on enrollment, not on what students need," she added. 

Most permanent staffing positions are filled

Some experts say increasing staff levels is one of the solutions that can be put in place to help remedy the problem of violence in the classroom. 

Unlike previous years, there is no shortage of teachers in most of northeastern Ontario for the 2023-2024 school year.

Rainbow District School Board's education director Bruce Bourget says he would like to have more staff available to accept part time work or long term occasional work, but that all permanent positions in his board are staffed this year.

Bruce Bourget is the director of education at the Rainbow District School Board. (Submitted by the Rainbow District School Board)

As for the Sudbury District Catholic School Board, education director Joanne Bénard says they are in "a pretty good position" with all roles filled except for the French language programs.

She's confident that the board will hire the staff they need by the time the students return. "We have many good candidates," she said.

In the Algoma area, the main staffing issue also relates to the availability of supply teachers, according to Predum.

'We need professionals': teacher 

Holm would like to see the discussion on staffing go beyond the complement of permanent teachers boards are funded for. 

"I would like there to be more specialist teachers funded by our government and put into our classrooms. We need more teachers doing one-on-one with kids who are struggling.

The more bodies we have in the school, the more it might help the kids who are frustrated and lashing out with violence.- Liana Holm, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario's Rainbow local

"We need professionals," she said

Both Holm and Predum say this is an issue that has pushed many colleagues to leave the profession. 

In the Rainbow local, some teachers have decided to retire early, while other newer recruits decided to change careers after a few years of teaching.

Staffing is one of the core issues in ongoing bargaining with the province 

While there is no current teacher staffing shortage in the Greater Sudbury area, Bourget warns that things like these go in waves. 

"There was a time where there were more teachers available than there were jobs, and the pendulum has swung," he said. 

Bénard says the province needs to "promote education as a phenomenal career choice" to prevent future staff shortages. 

Ontario is currently at the bargaining table with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO). Earlier this week, the union rejected the province's offer to head to arbitration to avoid a strike. 

It will be holding a strike vote later in September.