(Canada) Alliston, Ont: "Students hitting, kicking,... spiting, or biting"-the most from SPED kids

Oct 4, 2017: Alliston, ONT, Simco.com: Student attacks against teachers a concern in Simcoe County https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/7575383-student-attacks-against-teachers-a-concern-in-simcoe-county/ Violent attacks against teachers by students happen in Simcoe County, and are seemingly on the rise, according to local teachers unions. Janet Bigham, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Simcoe County local, said teachers in the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) reported just over 2,000 aggressive incidents last year. And she said that number is likely under-reported. The incidents involve students hitting, kicking, pinching, spiting, or biting teachers, among other things. “Year after year there seems to be more incidents happening and they seem to be more aggressive,” Bigham said. “It has gotten to the point that some of my members are being asked to wear Kevlar jackets in order to protect themselves from biting and pinching and others things they might have experienced." There have been over 100 aggressive incidents reported this school year, including one on Sept. 22 where an educational assistant was beaten by a student, … Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 330 president Kelly Martin, who represents some 1,800 support staff at the SCDSB, including education assistants, who she said are the most at risk to be assaulted, has called on the board to make staff safety a top priority. According to Martin, most of the violence is coming from students in special education programs. …