Biting. Kicking. Spitting. Scratching. Punching. Blows to the head. Violence is NOT part of our job!
Aggressive, often violent, reported incidents against educators are on the rise.
Workplace Violence reports MUST be completed EVERY time an incident of violence occurs. Use of physical intervention MUST also be reported EVERY time you are required to “restrict a student’s ability to move”. Forms of restraint we commonly see are, holding of the hand if it is not the student’s choice, preventing a student from exiting a room, blocking doors, etc.
Members are obligated to complete and submit these reports by the Employer and the Ministry of Education. It also advises them that it is the Principals responsibility to encourage you and to facilitate receipt of first aid and/or health care during your paid work day. If you leave work on the day you are injured, CODE 30 Injury/Illness CANNOT be used to code in your absence. We strongly encourage ALL members to continue to complete these reports each and every time an incident occurs.
Members are encouraged to review safety plans and ensure that any prescriptive restraints (such as handholding for runners) are removed if the member has not received student-specific training. Without training, holds can only be used in the event of imminent danger and can NEVER be used for issues of compliance as per Board operating procedure SESS 17 (attached below). All members should make themselves familiar with this document.
It is our duty and obligation to report ALL incidents EVERY time an incident occurs.
It is against the law for a supervisor to instruct you to not report an incident. Report incidents immediately by completing an incident report and report the incident to your supervisor in writing.
If a student was the aggressor, complete the safe schools incident reporting form. Incident reports can be accessed on the peel intranet.
Please find attached, the Guide to Understanding Online Workplace Incident Reporting. This quick reference describes what constitutes a reportable incident and the steps that need to be taken depending on the type of incident.