Oakville Beaver | Thursday, March 2, 2023 | 12 ATTRIDGE SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED Z Supplement Your Inco! J Professional Training WE'RE HIRING FOR BUS DRIVERS IN HAMILTON AND HALTON SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS NEEDED! Dive bus today ane maxe @ eFerence SUPPLEMENT YOUR Earn extra ma nea PROFESSIONAL TRAINING NOW Call 1-888-749-1515 “THIS GOVERNMENT COULD BE BBNEWS TEACHERS REPORTING INCREASE IN BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES Continued from page 3 ous School year. ell you that we hear from teach- are affected by violence and ag- Crecion almost daily," said Klimkowski. eachers, educational assistants and designated early childhood educators are probably the most affected. However, any- one who works ina schoo] with children is at risk, she said. ane results of an anit ETFO auvey currently underway will help wer questions of the prevalence of workplace violence, she said. Violence and aggressive behaviours are defined as "any act that puts others at risk of physical or harm,” ing reqular evacuations of their class- of their students as well as themselves and other staff. This fear is not only for physical safe- ty, but also their psychological safety.” Teacher ting an increase in behavioural issues among the youngest students, which is being attributed to so- cial isolation due to the pandemic. "This resulted in children who don't know how said Klimkowski. "First-time parents also often didn't get to participate in early years programs through the community or in- teract with people who had children of the same age, making it harder for them to rec- ognize that their child may be strugglingin ch as biting, striking, pushing or threats of violence. Biting and hitting are the most common occurrences, but verbal aggression and threats that impact mental well-being are also on the rise, she said. “Our office i is also contacted regularly about incident intheir class who are unable to self-regulate, caus- DOING A LOT MORE, AND IT STARTS WITH SMALLER their When unity and medical sup- ports are already in in ny ane prior toa child starting kindergarten, a school team can work together to support the child, she said. jurvey results are expected in the spring and ETFO plans to use the informa- tion to raise public awareness of the issue, advocate for change and develop member * Metro Creative photo The ETFO Halton president expects results of all-member survey will show violence in elementary schools is increasing. resources and programs, said a statement released by ETFO. “I expect the results to show that vio- lence in our schools is on the rise," said Klimkowski. insidehalton.com CLASS SIZE: Sonia, Ontario Parent Catholic Teachers KNOW MORE.CA