Open letter: a necessary and wide-ranging reflection on discipline in our schools

I would like to begin by welcoming the proposal of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ)’s Commission Relève to initiate a reflection on discipline in our schools. We cannot deny that these issues, involving both violence and respect in school environments, are of the utmost importance and have been of concern to us and many other stakeholders in the education sector for a very long time. So, we acknowledge the positive aspects of such a debate and the Commission’s sincere interest in tackling these issues.

But we should be cautious and avoid shortcuts. If we could solve the issue of school discipline with a few simple measures, we would have done this a long time ago. The reality is more complex, and it’s vital that we explore all avenues of solutions before new policies are put in place. It’s also important to emphasize that effective practices that deserve to be promoted and disseminated on a wider scale already exist in many places.

The key to finding solutions is a broad, inclusive reflection that would involve all stakeholders in the education sector: school support staff, teachers, professionals, school principals, researchers, parents and students. All these voices are needed to develop sustainable solutions adapted to the many facets of today’s educational challenges.

We agree that respect and good citizenship are fundamental values we need to promote in our schools. But we need to think beyond these concepts. Violence, harassment and other forms of disruptive behavior are an increasing reality in the daily lives of students and school staff. An appropriate response will require collective discussion and mobilization, where we can all participate in the search for long-term solutions.

So, while we recognize the importance of this debate, we reiterate that a thoughtful, inclusive approach based on experience in the field is essential to achieving a positive impact on the lives of our youth and school staff.

Éric Pronovost
FPSS-CSQ President