Nova Scotia school support staff want a say in addressing school violence

The union representing 5,000 school support workers in Nova Scotia has launched a campaign to tackle violence in the province’s public school system.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees said today it would circulate a petition calling on officials to include support staff in the development of strategies to address the problem.

Also during the news conference outside Halifax City Hall, the union released a 13-page report on the violence affecting its membership.

The report echoed many of the findings reached in June by auditor general Kim Adair, who documented a rise in violent incidents in schools to 27,000 from 17,000 over the past seven years.

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Nan McFadgen, president of CUPE Nova Scotia, says support workers end up dealing with the majority of violent incidents in schools.

Similar to the auditor general’s findings, the CUPE report says the extent of the problem is unknown because violence is under-reported.

The union represents teaching assistants, custodians, bus drivers, early childhood educators, and librarians along with workers from several other professions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.