Violent incidents on the rise in Waterloo Region public schools [Video]

Violence in Waterloo Region’s public schools has increased, according to findings from a recent board report.

Students have been back in the classroom for some time now following the pandemic, but it seems disruptions of a different kind could be putting staff in harm’s way.

Between February and mid-April, local public schools reported 1,067 incidents which ranged in severity from near misses to more serious physical outbursts. In some cases, staff even had to take time off work because of their injuries.

“I wish we were surprised,” said Jeff Pelich, Waterloo Region’s president for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

There’s one catch – 1,037 of those reported cases took place in elementary schools.

ETFO is now sounding the alarm.

“Each of those incidents equates to students who are struggling, a situation where the student wasn’t getting the support they need and therefore, communicating in a way that comes across as aggressive or poses a …