Students in area schools have every right expect their classrooms to be safe places where learning and friendship thrive and prosper.
Unfortunately, according to Alberta Education, many schools in the province are seeing an increase in the number of incidents of aggression, with students, teachers and staff members being put at risk.
In an effort to address the problem, the province recently announced the creation of the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team, comprised of teachers and stakeholder partners. It will provide recommendations to Alberta Education about possible solutions.
The fact that such an initiative is needed in Alberta in 2025 is understandably a concern for parents, teachers and others. Hopefully, the team will come up with meaningful measures that can be taken, without undue delay, to reverse this very troubling trend.
Demetrios Nicolaides, minister of Education and Childcare, says the government is determined to set things right.
“We have heard loud and clear from teachers and parents that we need to do something about aggression in classrooms, and that is exactly what we are doing,” he said. “Creating this action team is one of several concrete steps we are taking to improve school safety and better support students’ diverse needs.”
The Alberta School Boards Association is one of the stakeholder groups on the new action team.
“ASBA looks forward to this collaborative effort, including local school board perspectives, to help shape meaningful, long-term solutions that support students and educators,” says president Marilyn Dennis.
The College of Alberta School Superintendents is also part of the action team.
Recommendations coming out of the initiative will be presented to Alberta Education by the fall of 2025, with some of the recommendations coming into effect as soon as the 2025-26 school year.
A survey published by the Alberta Teachers' Association found that more than half of Alberta teachers experienced aggression in the first three months of the 2023-24 school year.
Hopefully this new action team will find success in its efforts.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
