School staff and parent representatives in 性视界传媒 are once again drawing attention to the shortage of teachers and support staff for students in the city's schools 鈥� and they're not mincing words in their message to B.C.'s premier.
During the provincial election campaign in October, NDP leader David Eby promised to ensure there would be an education assistant in every K-3 classroom and a mental health counsellor in each school across the province. For staff and parents in 性视界传媒, ensuring the premier follows through on this promise is top of mind since the province the re-elected the New Democrats.
"I hope the premier keeps his promises. We鈥檒l be watching, expectantly," 性视界传媒 Teachers' Association president Lizanne Foster said at a press conference on Monday morning (Dec. 16) in partnership with the District Parent Advisory Council and CUPE 728, the local for 性视界传媒 school district support staff.
As it stands, students in the district are struggling due to what the groups describe as a shortage of inclusive education support workers (IESWs), which is having dangerous impacts in classrooms.
"Impacts include a classroom having to be cleared several times a week when a student communicates their distress through extremely violent behaviour," Foster said. "Students may be overstimulated by the overcrowded classrooms or they may be acting out in frustration because they are not able to learn without the resources they need."
The teachers union president emphasizes that it is not only the students with diverse needs who are impacted, but all students and teachers who are often at the brunt of the violence when it occurs.
One IESW was attacked by a student and needed a skin graft done on her arm due to the biting, said Tammy Murphy, president of CUPE 728.
"We鈥檝e had numerous concussions, members off for mental health reasons; they just can鈥檛 cope day-to-day, they feel like they鈥檙e not making a difference," Murphy added.
On average, Murphy says, there is a shortage of about 80 IESWs daily throughout the district. Seeing the premier's promise become a reality would mean the department needs increased funding from the ministry, which the groups hope to see.
"Our education system has become reactive instead of proactive," Murphy added.
"Right now, some students with challenges are not fully integrated in the system with their peers. Sometimes they spend their days in classrooms or portables with only their IESW.
"This is not inclusion, this is isolation."
When she started in the profession, the role of the IESW was to help students achieve academic success and develop life skills, but now, the staff are often focused on behavioural management instead, leaving little to no time to focus on academics.
School mental health counsellors often rotate between schools on a weekly basis, meaning that each school typically only has a counsellor present one to two days a week, Foster explained.
Because of this and the long waitlist, students are going without diagnoses for learning and behavioural disabilities. Each student with a designation is entitled to having an IESW, but with increasing students who need support but are not designated, the groups say that the support staff are being stretched thin to accommodate sometimes nine students in one classroom.
Foster said that teachers will sometimes only last a few months in the job before resigning due to all of the issues in the district.
"This is no longer a past government鈥檚 issue, something that was inherited. This is a this government鈥檚 issue," said Anne Whitmore, president of DPAC.
