Beauce – Violence and resignations are a harsh reality for school support staff

Violence towards school support staff at the Centre de services scolaire (CSS) de la Beauce-Etchemin affects almost two (2) out of five (5) people when it involves physical violence, and more than five (5) out of ten (10) when it involves non-physical violence.

The CSS de la Beauce-Etchemin has also seen a significant number of school support staff resign over the past five (5) years.

This was a source of concern to Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ) President Éric Pronovost when he came to the Beauce region as part of the FPSS-CSQ’s 25^th anniversary tour. He took the opportunity to meet with school support staff working at the CSS de la Beauce-Etchemin.

Violence in the schools

Students are the main source of these incidents which include shouting at staff (68%), being hit (55%), having objects thrown at them (52%), swearing or cursing (49%) and being subjected to abusive language (46%).

“Violence against school support staff who should be appreciated and treated well for what they offer is unacceptable. It affects them severely and must stop. We need to protect education workers,” says Annie Boily, President of the Syndicat du personnel de soutien scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin (SPSS-CSQ).

Pronovost adds: “I’m going to have a lot of solutions to present to the Education Minister on May 24 at the Journée d’échange sur la prévention de la violence et de l’intimidation dans les écoles. I don’t understand why Mr. Drainville hasn’t already taken immediate action to stop the violence.”

More than 1,806 school support staff in the Chaudière-Appalaches region have already resigned in the last five years

Over the past five years and into the current year, 1,806 school support staff have resigned from school service centers and school boards in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. There were 304 resignations from the CSS Beauce-Etchemin. These figures do not include retirements. The FPSS‑CSQ used access to information requests to obtain the figures.

Éric Pronovost is deeply concerned about the situation, saying: “We are witnessing a major crisis in education. These mass resignations are having an impact on the workload of those who remain and on the quality of the services we offer.”

Why people are resigning

The reasons behind this wave of mass departures are varied, says Boily. “Lack of recognition, precarious working conditions, lack of resources, and work overload are all factors that drive school support staff to make the difficult decision to leave their jobs in education.”

She says this jeopardizes the quality of services offered to students. School support staff perform various tasks, from administrative management to facilities maintenance, to supporting students with special needs. Their contributions are often discreet, but they are fundamental.

“Losing people with experience and expertise is crucial. When people resign, new people need to be hired and trained to replace them. There is a significant cost associated with this, which the government needs to take into account.

The FPSS-CSQ is calling on the Education Minister to take urgent action to resolve this crisis. “Despite some gains in the new collective agreements, there are still many issues that require immediate action to preserve the integrity of our education system. School support staff remain deeply and constantly concerned about the lack of services to students,” insists Pronovost. “Adequate recognition of their essential contribution is required; we are a decisive factor in education.”

More attractive jobs elsewhere

Annie Boily points out that more attractive jobs are being offered by companies in the region. “Many of our members, whether secretaries, laborers or specialized educators, have resigned their positions to take jobs elsewhere, where they are assured of more working hours, a sometimes-lighter workload and often higher wages. Our school service centers are losing valuable expertise,” laments the SPSS-CSQ President.