July 2026 - Minaz Jivraj My Take: Teaching Under Threat: The Rising Burden of Workplace Violence in Schools

Workplace violence against teachers and support staff in Canada and the United States has grown from a background concern into a central occupational health and safety issue. National surveys, academic research, and union reports’ now document a clear pattern: educators and education support workers are exposed to frequent verbal aggression, threats, intimidation, and physical assault at work, most often from students but also from parents, colleagues, and administrators.

This article synthesizes verifiable evidence on the extent, causes, and consequences of workplace violence in schools in Canada and the United States. It draws on government statistics, peer-reviewed research, and large-scale surveys of education workers. It concludes with recommendations grounded in the available evidence to help schools and systems reduce teacher and staff victimization.

The extent of workplace violence in schools

United States evidence

In the United States, the most widely cited national data on teacher victimization come from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). During the 2020–21 school year, 6 percent of public-school teachers reported being threatened with injury by a student from their school and 4 percent reported being physically attacked by a student from their school. Although these percentages are lower than in some earlier years, they still represent a substantial number of teachers in a large national system.

A broader view comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks work-related injuries and illnesses. BLS data for 2021–22 show that violence and other injuries by persons or animals occurred at a rate of 20.0 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent school teachers, compared with 10.0 cases per 10,000 for all occupations, indicating that teachers’ exposure to violent injury was about twice the overall workforce rate in that period.

The most comprehensive national study of educator victimization in recent years is the two-wave national survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel. The study, published in American Psychologist in 2024, compared reports from before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic among teachers, school psychologists, social workers, counselors, administrators, and other school staff.

The APA task force found that threats and violence declined during the pandemic but rebounded to levels equal to or exceeding pre-pandemic levels once restrictions were lifted. Among teachers, 65 percent reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or threatening behavior from a student prior to the pandemic, dropping to 33 percent during the pandemic, and then rebounding to 80 percent in the post-pandemic survey. Physical violence from students followed a similar pattern: 42 percent of teachers reported such incidents pre-pandemic, 14 percent during the pandemic, and 56 percent post-pandemic. Physical violence from parents or guardians also rose, from 1 percent pre-pandemic to 26 percent post-pandemic.

Across all educator roles, the study found heightened anxiety and stress during the pandemic that did not fully return to pre-pandemic levels afterward. The authors concluded that aggression and violence against educators are a national concern affecting the well-being of school personnel and the students and families they serve.

Canadian evidence

In Canada, the most extensive recent evidence comes from the University of Ottawa-led research program on violence and harassment against education sector workers. This program has produced multiple provincial and national reports, including In Harm’s Way (Ontario, 2021), Beyond the Breaking Point (Saskatchewan, 2024), and Canadian Schools: A Hazardous Workplace (national, 2026).

The 2026 national report Canadian Schools: A Hazardous Workplace surveyed about 4,000 education sector workers across Canada regarding the 2022–2023 school year. It found that 78 percent of respondents experienced at least one act, attempt, or threat of physical violence, and 84 percent experienced an average of about 30 harassment incidents per year. Nearly 80 percent said workplace violence harmed their mental health, and more than half indicated they would be ready to leave the profession if they could find comparable employment.

The report also found that reported violence and harassment were overwhelmingly student-initiated, particularly toward direct student support staff and indirect workers, but that high rates were also seen from parents, colleagues, and administrators. Fewer than one in five workers indicated that safety plans were consistently implemented following violent incidents, pointing to a gap between policy and practice.

Earlier Ontario research, In Harm’s Way (2021), surveyed nearly 4,000 classroom-based education workers in the 2018–2019 school year. It found that 89 percent reported at least one act, attempt, or threat of physical force and 95 percent reported at least one type of harassment. The study documented incidents including hitting, kicking, pushing, slurs, insults, and threats, and it found that education assistants were especially exposed.

Subsequent provincial reports show similar patterns. In Saskatchewan, 84 percent of education sector workers reported at least one act, attempt, or threat of physical force, with the majority of violence student-initiated. Women reported about twice as many acts, attempts, or threats of physical force from students as men. The research also found high rates of burnout, PTSD-like symptoms, and job dissatisfaction.

Who is most at risk

Research in both countries shows that risk is not evenly distributed. Support staff and education assistants often experience the highest exposure because their roles place them closest to students with complex behavioral, developmental, or medical needs. The Canadian surveys consistently show that classroom-based workers, such as education assistants and early childhood educators, report higher rates of violence and harassment than other workers.

In the U.S. APA national survey, teachers reported the highest rates of physical violence overall after pandemic restrictions were lifted, but other school personnel, including school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and administrators, also reported similar patterns of threats and violence decreasing during the pandemic and rebounding afterward. Students were the most common aggressors across roles, but parents, colleagues, and administrators were also identified as sources of aggression.

The Canadian research further shows that equity-deserving and sovereignty-seeking groups are disproportionately vulnerable. Indigenous education sector workers reported more frequent verbal insults and offensive remarks from students. Workers with a diagnosed mental illness and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ reported higher rates of harassment and were more than three times as likely to experience reprisals for reporting violence or harassment.

Causes and contributing factors

The evidence does not point to a single cause of workplace violence in schools. Instead, it identifies a layered set of risk factors involving student behavior, staffing and resource constraints, school climate, administrative response, and broader social stressors.

The APA task force report highlights several training and support needs identified by educators, including trauma-informed practices, socioemotional learning approaches, de-escalation strategies, and behavior and classroom management. The authors argue that schools must address the entire ecology of the school, including discipline practices, staffing, placement decisions, and school climate, to reduce violence effectively.

Canadian reports emphasize chronic underfunding, inadequate resources, and the normalization of violence as key contributors. Many education workers described feeling burnt out, less enthusiastic, and dissatisfied with their jobs, and they reported that violence had become “part of the job.” The research also found that most institutional responses to workplace violence and harassment were reactive, deflective, or dismissive, with participants describing their concerns being minimized or ignored.

Understaffing and limited behavioral supports appear repeatedly in the literature and union reporting. When staff are stretched thin, the likelihood of using reactive rather than preventive responses rises’, and workers who support high-needs students may face repeated exposure without enough backup. The Canadian reports link violence and harassment to institutional neglect and inadequate protections, training, and mental health supports.

Consequences for staff and schools

The human and organizational impacts of workplace violence in schools are substantial. The APA study found high levels of anxiety and stress among school personnel and substantial intent to transfer or quit, which is a warning sign for workforce stability. After pandemic restrictions were lifted, the percentage of teachers expressing intentions to resign or transfer rose from 49 percent during the pandemic to 57 percent afterward.

The Canadian research shows similar patterns. In the 2026 national report, nearly 80 percent of respondents said workplace violence harmed their mental health, 26 percent reported PTSD-like symptoms, and more than half said they would be ready to leave the profession if they could find comparable employment. Many respondents described stress that followed them home, affecting their families, sleep, and overall quality of life.

The consequences extend beyond the individual worker. When experienced teachers and support staff leave, schools lose continuity, institutional memory, and trusted relationships with students and families. That loss can worsen student outcomes, increase vacancies, and place more pressure on the staff who remain, creating a cycle in which violence and turnover reinforce one another. The APA research explicitly connects educator victimization to retention concerns and student learning.

The Canadian research also shows that students are negatively affected. The vast majority of respondents reported that workplace violence negatively affects their ability to teach, the learning environment, and students’ well-being. Researchers noted that it is hard to overstate how destabilizing it is for students to routinely witness violence against their teachers and educational assistants.

Evidence-based strategies to mitigate teacher victimization

Although the evidence base on specific interventions is still developing, several strategies are supported by research and practice as promising ways to reduce teacher and staff victimization.

Schoolwide positive behavior and climate

Research indicates that schools with positive discipline and consistent enforcement of conduct rules report lower teacher victimization, while schools with stronger school climate and supportive leadership also see better outcomes. A large U.S. study of 6,643 teachers found that positive behavior strategies, hardening strategies, and positive discipline were indirectly associated with teacher victimization and sense of safety, and that teachers’ perceptions of other teachers maltreating students had a strong influence on their sense of safety and victimization.

The APA report recommends a tiered prevention model that builds structure and support schoolwide. This includes setting and teaching clear behavior expectations in all settings, using universal prevention strategies for all students, targeted support for students at risk, and intensive intervention for students with the highest needs.

Training and professional development

Training in de-escalation, conflict resolution, trauma-informed practice, and threat recognition is consistently identified as a need. The APA task force recommended training in trauma-informed practices, socioemotional learning approaches, working with diverse groups, de-escalation strategies, and behavior and classroom management. The Canadian surveys show that only about 36 percent of educators feel confident in their ability to deal with an incident of physical violence, and the majority welcome non-physical intervention programs and social-emotional learning supports.

A 2025 scoping review titled Protecting Educators found that the evidence base is still small, but interventions with promise include crisis-prevention teams, teacher and counselor meetings focused on violence prevention, and broader school-based prevention efforts. The review concluded that more rigorous intervention research is still needed, but it supports the use of structured training and team-based approaches.

Supervision, safety planning, and administrative response

Improving supervision in high-risk spaces such as hallways, stairwells, and common areas is another important strategy. The APA report links undefined, poorly supervised spaces with higher risk and recommends that schools strengthen adult presence and monitoring in these areas.

Safety plans must be more than documents. The Canadian research found widespread under-reporting of incidents and a lack of effective institutional responses, with fewer than one in five workers indicating that safety plans were consistently implemented following violent incidents. This means that follow-through matters as much as having a policy.

Administrative response is critical. Teachers are more satisfied when administrators question offenders, apply discipline, and treat them with procedural justice. The APA report recommends that district and school leaders engage educators and school personnel in discussions regarding school practices, discipline, placement, staffing, and school climate.

Reporting systems and data use

Reporting systems work best when they are simple, trusted, and connected to follow-up. The Canadian research found that nearly half of participants did not report any instances of violence or harassment in the 2022–2023 school year, and many more indicated that at least one incident should have been reported but was not.

Evidence on school climate and incident reporting shows that schools with healthier climate are more likely to have staff who believe reporting is worthwhile and safe. When educators trust that reports will be taken seriously and lead to action, they are more likely to document incidents rather than normalize them. Schools that use climate data well tend to have clearer expectations, better staff collaboration, and more structured review of behavior and safety concerns.

Support for equity-deserving staff

The evidence also shows that equity-deserving and sovereignty-seeking groups are disproportionately vulnerable to harassment and violence and to reprisals for reporting. This means that prevention and response strategies must explicitly address these disparities, including by ensuring that reporting mechanisms are safe, that investigations are impartial, and that supports are accessible to all staff.

Recommendations for schools and systems

Based on the available evidence, schools and systems can take several concrete steps to mitigate workplace violence against teachers and support staff:

1. Adopt a schoolwide positive behavior framework. Implement clear, consistently enforced expectations for behavior in all school settings, backed by tiered supports for students with increasing needs.

2. Invest in training for all staff. Provide regular training in de-escalation, trauma-informed practice, behavior and classroom management, and working with diverse student populations. Include support staff, not just teachers, in all training.

3. Improve supervision and safety planning. Increase adult presence in high-risk areas and ensure that safety plans are implemented consistently after incidents, not just written and filed.

4. Strengthen administrative response. Ensure that incidents are investigated promptly, fairly, and visibly, and that staff are not blamed for violence they did not cause. Involve educators in decisions about discipline, staffing, and school climate.

5. Build a strong reporting culture. Make reporting simple, nonpunitive, and connected to action. Use incident data and climate data together to identify patterns and guide improvements.

6. Support mental health and well-being. Provide accessible mental health supports for staff who have experienced violence or harassment and recognize the cumulative impact of repeated exposure.

7. Address equity and inclusion explicitly. Ensure that equity-deserving and sovereignty-seeking staff are protected from harassment and reprisals and that reporting mechanisms and supports are accessible to all.

8. Increase behavioral and special education supports. Match staffing and resources to student need, especially for students with complex behavioral, developmental, or medical needs, to reduce the burden on individual staff members.

   
   

Conclusion

The evidence from Canada and the United States is clear: workplace violence against teachers and support staff is common, harmful, and too often treated as unavoidable. It includes far more than physical assault, ranging from repeated verbal aggression and intimidation to direct physical attacks, and it affects both instructional staff and the support workers who are essential to school functioning.

What the research most strongly suggests is that schools must move from normalization to prevention. That means better reporting, stronger training, more robust behavioral supports, consistent safety planning, and a serious commitment to protecting the adults who make schools work.

References

1. McMahon, S. D., Swenski, T., Bare, K., et al. (2024). Violence and Aggression Against Educators and School Personnel, Retention, Stress, and Training Needs: National Survey Results. American Psychologist. APA press release: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2024/05/violence-against-educators-post-pandemic[apa]

2. National Center for Education Statistics. Teachers Threatened With Injury or Physically Attacked by Students. Indicator A05, Condition of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a05/teacher-attacked-by-students[nces.ed]

3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Injuries and illnesses among school teachers. The Economics Daily, June 4, 2025. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/injuries-and-illnesses-among-school-teachers.htm[bls]

4. Office of Justice Programs / NCES. Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023. https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/report-indicators-school-crime-and-safety-2023-and-indicator-2-incidence[ojp]

5. Santor, D., Bruckert, C., Mallory, D., et al. (2026). Canadian Schools: A Hazardous Workplace. University of Ottawa. Summary: https://phys.org/news/2026-02-current-violence-canadian-schools-hazardous.html; Full report (PDF): https://cupe2357.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Canadian-Schools-A-hazardous-workplaces.pdf[cupe2357]

6. Mallory, D., Bruckert, C., Ismail, H., Santor, D. (2024). Beyond the Breaking Point: Violence against Saskatchewan’s education sector workers. University of Ottawa. Summary: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1059134[eurekalert]

7. McMahon, S. D., et al. (2025). Protecting Educators: A Scoping Review of Interventions That Address Teacher Victimization. Journal of School Violence / PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11851919/[pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih]

8. Violence and Harassment Against Educators Project. Key Findings. https://www.educatorviolence.ca/key-findings[educatorviolence]

9. Learning Policy Institute. Using Data to Improve School Climate: Insights from Three California Middle Schools. 2024. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED670957.pdf[files.eric.ed]

10. U.S. Department of Education / NCES. Digest of Education Statistics, Table 228.70: Teachers threatened with injury or physically attacked by students. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_228.70.asp?current=yes[nces.ed]

11. APA Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel. Understanding and Preventing Violence Directed Against Teachers: Recommendations from a National Task Force. PDF: https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/violence-teachers.pdf[apa]

Minaz Jivraj MSc., C.P.P., C.F.E., C.F.E.I., C.C.F.I.-C., I.C.P.S., C.C.T.P.

Disclaimer:The information provided in this blog/article is for general informational purposes only and reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, the author makes no representations or warranties about its completeness or suitability for any particular purpose. Readers are encouraged to seek professional legal advice specific to their situation.