Ministry of Labour: Guide/Roadmap
Workplace Violence in School Boards: A Guide to the Law
In March, the Ministry of Labour released the guidance document, Workplace Violence in School Boards: A Guide to the Law, which was developed in consultation with the Provincial Working Group on Health and Safety (PWGHS), a workgroup which evolved out of ETFO negotiations and the 2014 ETFO MOU Task Force on Health and Safety Report. ETFO was also active in the consultation on this guide and active provincially and locally with ongoing lobby efforts to pressure the government into taking these initial steps to address concerns about violence in schools. This Guide will ensure everyone in the school system understands their existing rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Education Act and other legislation. The Guide contains a Roadmap for reporting requirements, templates for notifications of risk of physical injury and links to relevant Ministry of Education memos, the Local Police/School Board Protocol, the Privacy Commission guide, etc.
School boards have also implemented a consolidated online reporting tool for violent incidents, updated their practices, and provide training on reporting.
Training Materials from the Ministry of Education for the Guide/Road Map
The Ministry of Education training resource was developed as a practical tool by the Provincial Working Group on Health and Safety (PWGHS) in response to the need expressed by teachers, education workers and administrators for greater clarity about workplace violence reporting processes.