Intimidation, harassment and a 'jump list': New docs shed light on why staff walked off the job at a Toronto school
New details have emerged about the safety issues that prompted more than a dozen staff members at a Toronto school including the principal, to refuse work last month.
CP24 has obtained documents from a Ministry of Labour “field visit” to York Memorial Collegiate Institute that was undertaken on Nov. 24 in response to the work refusals.
The documents detail a myriad of safety issues cited by the 14 staff members who refused work, beginning on Oct. 31.
While the reasons that each of the staff members gave for refusing work differ to some degree, there are a number of issues that were consistently raised in their individual accounts, including frequent fights in hallways and washrooms, instances of suspected drug dealing, a lack of immediate assistance when teachers request it, and the inability to identify students wearing face coverings such as balaclavas.
Several of the workers also detailed alleged instances of harassment by students and said that they felt unsafe in the classroom.
“Students use derogatory language towards this worker, students have thrown materials in this worker’s direction and students bang on this worker’s classroom door,” a summary documenting one of the teacher’s reasons for refusing work states.
Some workers say they were included on “jump list”
CTV News Toronto previously spoke to two staff members at York Memorial who expressed concerns about their safety at the school.
The workers said that they were witnessing near-daily fights and that one bathroom had even gained a reputation as a "fight club,"
The TDSB, for its part, has acknowledged that the amalgamation of York Memorial Collegiate Institute and George Harvey Collegiate Institute in September “hasn’t been without its challenges, concerns and indeed some fears.”
But it has also insisted that it is “starting to make much needed progress” as it works to address the concerns shared by staff and students.
In the documents obtained by CP24, three of the staff members who participated in the work refusals specifically expressed concern about their inclusion on a “jump list” that they said was created by students.
Some of the workers also described instances of “intimidation” by masked students who entered their classrooms and then refused to leave.
One teacher said that students regularly entered their classroom and “flick their lights on and off” while demanding to speak with other students while another teacher recounted an incident in which a student put their foot in their classroom doorway to prevent them from closing it.
Several other teachers said that students had hurled obscenities at them and, in some cases, blocked the exits to their classrooms in an attempt at “intimidation.”
In some of the accounts the “harassment” and “intimidation” also became violent, according to the worker accounts included in the documents.
One teacher said that a student had reached into their classroom and threw “a chalkboard eraser at their head.” Another said that “administrative staff had been assaulted and threatened by students.”
Meanwhile, some of the workers identified issues with the classroom phones that teachers are supposed to be able to use to summon help.
One teacher said that the phones were not working when a large fight broke out in the hallway on Oct. 28, resulting in staff receiving busy signals at first and later being told “by office staff that no one was available to help.”
“There is a lack of stable leadership, there is no code of conduct to address student behaviour, there is no understanding of how to lockdown properly, there is a lack of security around the school and there is lack of communication between the administration and staff,” a summary of another one of the workers’ complaints states.
All but two of the workers whose accounts are included in the documents identified an issue with students wearing full face masks that prevented them from being identified.
However, the school has since implemented a policy where all students will be required to display photo identification on a lanyard, at all times.
Ministry officials also said in the documents that staff have identified three to five students who consistently wear full face coverings and have “dealt with them on a one-on-one basis.”
Students protested safety concerns last week
The new details about the alleged safety issues at York Memorial Collegiate institute come after students staged a walkout at the school last week to demand a “safe and stable” learning environment. They described a school void of police presence and racial violence.
Following that protest, the TDSB sent a memo to parents outlining some of the steps they were taking to address the issues at the school, including the imminent hiring of a permanent principal, continued work to hire permanent teachers to address staffing shortages brought about by the work refusals and the addition of supervision and counselling supports.
The documents obtained by CP24 do note that the school undertook 17 measures to improve safety following an internal investigation that arose from the work refusals, including repairing all classroom phones and faulty locks, placing an additional safety monitor on site, instructing staff to utilize the “buddy system” when walking to the parking lot after school and having at least one staff members assigned to monitor the main entrance while it is unlocked.
But those steps did not resolve the work refusals, the documents note.
As a result, the Ministry of Labour has ordered the school to complete “a workplace violence risk assessment” by Dec. 9. It says that the assessment must specifically address risks related to the amalgamation of York Memorial Collegiate Institute and George Harvey Collegiate Institute in September, as well as concerns related to the presence of individuals in the school who cannot be identified because they are wearing full face coverings.
“This is not an exhaustive list of all the workplace violence risks that must be assessed,” ministry officials say in the documents. “The employer is responsible for identifying all risks of workplace violence at this workplace and shall address those identified risks in the workplace violence risk assessment.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.