Following ongoing violent incidents in Saskatchewan schools including the dangerous attack impacting CUPE members at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon, CUPE is calling for urgent action from the provincial government to address safety issues in schools.
“My heart goes out to everyone who was impacted by the tragic incident at Evan Hardy Collegiate. My thoughts are with the victim and her family and those who experienced harm on the job,” said Dene Nicholson, president of CUPE 8443. “Our members love their students and love their jobs, but it is getting harder to stay safe at work. Deep cuts to provincial funding levels while we are seeing increasing enrollment and student need can leave workers in unsafe situations.”
The dangerous attack at Evan Hardy Collegiate directly impacted CUPE education support workers and is one of many examples of escalating violence taking place in Saskatchewan schools. A recent survey of CUPE education support workers found that 70% of workers had experienced violence in their school in the previous three years.
“This incident should be an eye-opener for this provincial government. Years of underfunding and cuts to staffing has consequences,” said Karla Sastaunik, Chair of CUPE Saskatchewan’s Education Workers’ Steering Committee. “Many of our CUPE members work to keep schools safe and to support kids with complex needs. It is unacceptable for educators to be unsafe at work or Saskatchewan kids to be going without the support they need. The provincial government needs to step up with an urgent plan to address these issues.”
CUPE represents over 7,000 workers in the K-12 education system and CUPE 8443 represents members working for Saskatoon Public Schools.
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