To get started, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development needs a province-wide strategy to address violence in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reported incidents of school violence in schools throughout Nova Scotia have increased 60% over the past seven years (up from 17,000 to 26,000 since 2017), with half in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School violence has severe and lasting consequences on the mental health, well-being, and education of children. Research shows learning and health outcomes are lower for children who experience school violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”34″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”93″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new audit, which examined the incidents of violence in schools, reveals current policies have significant weaknesses to address the increasing school violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTraining and prevention have not kept pace with the rising number of violent incidents in public schools, resulting in educators who feel unprepared to deal with it,\u201d said Kim Adair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Educators, including teachers and teacher assistants, need a healthy and safe workplace. They cite several possibilities for the sharp rise in violence, including increasingly diverse and complex student needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The audit also points out parents and guardians play an essential role in the community commitment to ensure safe learning environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate group=”6″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”31″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation now requires a more focused effort that is not evident in the current Code of Conduct policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no cohesive approach to preventing and addressing violence in schools and it shows \u2013 right from the weaknesses in the School Code of Conduct all the way to the lack of action on reported incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The audit exposed weaknesses with the reliability and accuracy of school violence data, which means the Department doesn\u2019t know the full extent of violence in Nova Scotia\u2019s schools. That unreliability is further compounded by educators who say they\u2019re not always reporting incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the audit, our team visited more than half a dozen schools \u2013 chosen for their locations, school sizes, and levels of violence \u2013 and interviewed dozens of staff, including principals, teachers, and teacher assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”71″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”148″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to conducting a province-wide survey of all educators in Nova Scotia, the Auditor General and her team performed more detailed work at the HRCE and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result of the audit, the Auditor General makes five recommendations, including following through on the department\u2019s update to the Provincial School Code of Conduct policy, and the adoption of an integrated provincewide strategy in consultation with educators to address violence in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s as much an Occupational Health and Safety issue for educators as it is a commitment to improve the future of the province,\u201d says Adair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Infographic-School-Violence-_0-1024x796.png\")