(UK) York: Dramatic rise in elementary school violence

Oct 5, 2017, (UK) York Region: Violent special needs classroom incident still haunts York Region teacher 2 years later—School board weighs best course of action for teachers, students https://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/7580292-violent-special-needs-classroom-incident-still-haunts-york-region-teacher-2-years-later/ One local teacher still has nightmares two years after a violent incident in her special needs classroom. The teacher, who we've agreed not to identify, won’t soon forget the day a student uttered death threats and then threw a piece of furniture at her head. She has been spit at, kicked, bitten, verbally abused and her life has been threatened on more than one occasion. She has also been required to wear spit shields, bite guards and even Kevlar in the classroom.... In 2013, 194 incidents of violence were reported by York Region elementary teachers; in the last school year there were 536, York Region Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario president David Clegg said. Teachers are reporting trashed classrooms and broken windows; being grabbed by the throat, physically restrained and stabbed with scissors. “It’s the No. 1 topic and it’s a troubling issue that isn’t well understood,” he added. “The public immediately jumps to student versus student or bullying when discussed.” The teachers' federation has been holding focus groups and polling to gain a better understanding of the situation. In the focus groups, participants don’t believe students committed the acts. “This is happening with relatively young children and most don’t perceive a five- or six-year-old much of a threat,” he said. “But once you’ve seen a classroom a student has ripped apart you think differently.”... The federation is beginning to further research the impacts these incidents have on the other children in the classroom, Clegg said. Witnessing these acts or being evacuated from their classroom due to an out of control student must have an impact on their learning....