Nearly all of Ontario’s Catholic teachers say they experienced or witnessed workplace violence or harassment during the 2024-25 school year, according to a new province-wide survey that raises significant implications for workforce safety, retention and mental health across the education sector.
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) released the findings in February 2026, drawing on responses from 2,873 teachers surveyed by Pollara Strategic Insights. The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
“Schools cannot be safe places to learn if they are not safe places to teach,” said René Jansen in de Wal, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.
“Throughout the survey results, Catholic teachers raise serious concerns about reporting systems and safety strategies that are falling short, leaving teachers discouraged from reporting incidents or uncertain that meaningful action will follow.
Scale of the problem
Seven in ten Catholic teachers say they personally experienced an act of violence at school during the last school year. More than four in five witnessed violence directed at a colleague.
Among those who experienced violence in 2024-25, incidents occurred an average of seven times — up from fewer than six in a comparable 2017 survey. Over their entire careers, Catholic teachers report experiencing an average of nearly 17 violent incidents.
More than eight in ten teachers believe violence in Ontario Catholic schools is increasing. More than half say the severity of incidents is also rising.
What the violence looks like
Teachers report a wide range of incidents, including physical assaults, attempted assaults and threats. Nearly one in five who experienced violence say an incident involved a weapon — most often an everyday classroom object such as a chair, scissors or textbook.
Two-thirds of teachers who experienced or witnessed violence report physical injury, emotional harm or damage to personal property. Emotional impacts, including anxiety, fear and psychological distress, are described as nearly as common as physical harm.
Almost half say they have changed their own behaviour because of a violent incident or the fear of one — avoiding certain students, spaces or situations.
Harassment is also rising
Alongside physical violence, nearly half of Catholic teachers report personally experiencing workplace harassment or bullying. More than half have witnessed it happen to a colleague. Both figures represent a significant increase since 2017, according to the survey.
Teachers who experience harassment say it occurs multiple times within a single school year, often involving the same individuals over extended periods. A significant share of harassment now occurs through digital and social media platforms, extending beyond school walls into teachers’ personal lives.
More than one-third of Catholic teachers say they received no follow-up after reporting a harassment incident to a school administrator. More than half say they did not feel supported by their administration.
Reporting processes are falling short
More than half of Catholic teachers say they do not feel adequately prepared or equipped by their school administration or board to respond to incidents of violence or harassment.
More than one in three say they were discouraged from reporting an incident — most often by school principals. One in five say filing a report resulted in no outcome at all.
Fewer than two in five teachers report receiving training on their school’s Safe School Plan. Among those who have received training, only a minority describe it as helpful for managing real-world situations.
Who bears the greatest burden
The survey finds that violence and harassment are not experienced equally across the workforce.
- Women teachers report higher rates of physical violence, including assaults and threats, and are less likely to feel prepared to manage incidents or to see meaningful consequences follow a report.
- 2SLGBTQIA+ teachers report significantly higher exposure to harassment, particularly incidents tied to sexual orientation or gender identity, and are nearly twice as likely to be exposed to incidents involving weapons.
- Black and racialized teachers are more likely to describe racialized harassment, including microaggressions, racial slurs, stereotyping and challenges to their professional authority. Many report that racial dynamics are minimized when incidents are raised.
- Indigenous teachers describe experiences of harassment connected to identity, including dismissive attitudes toward Indigenous knowledge and challenges to their credibility. Some report that incidents involving racism or cultural disrespect are not fully recognized when raised.
- Disabled teachers report heightened vulnerability during violent incidents and greater long-term impact afterward, and express lower confidence that reporting mechanisms will account for their specific risks.
- Teachers under 40 experience higher rates and greater frequency of violence, while being less familiar with safety procedures and more likely to feel unprepared — raising concerns about early-career burnout and retention.
Elementary schools face the highest rates
Elementary school teachers report more frequent incidents, greater classroom disruption and a stronger perception that violence is increasing in both frequency and severity than their secondary school counterparts.
Teachers working in special education settings report particularly high exposure to physical aggression, including hitting, kicking, biting and thrown objects. The survey notes these behaviours are most often linked to students whose needs exceed the supports available, not to malice.
Secondary teachers report lower rates of physical violence but higher rates of harassment and discrimination, including online and social media-based behaviour that extends into their personal lives.
What teachers say is driving it
Teachers consistently identify staffing shortages, large class sizes and unmet student mental health needs as the primary drivers of violent incidents — not individual student behaviour.
Without sufficient access to child and youth workers, social workers and psychologists, unmet student needs frequently surface as behavioural crises in classrooms. Post-pandemic levels of student distress and dysregulation are cited as compounding the problem.
Teachers also point to insufficient behaviour management strategies and inconsistent discipline. When responses to violent incidents fail to prevent repeat occurrences, confidence in the reporting system erodes.
What the survey says needs to change
OECTA’s survey identifies several areas requiring action. More school-based mental health professionals, smaller class sizes, practical and scenario-based training, and reporting processes that lead to concrete outcomes are among the changes teachers call for.
“We want to do our jobs well. We just need the supports in place to do them safely,” one teacher wrote.
The report frames the issue as systemic rather than individual: “Violence in schools is not a failure of individual students or teachers. It is a predictable outcome of chronically under-resourced and underfunded systems.”
Implications for HR and employers
For HR professionals and business leaders in the education sector, the survey points to a workforce under measurable strain. Burnout, absenteeism and departures from the profession are already being reported, with early-career teachers among the most at risk.
The report notes that when violence becomes normalized, teachers experience injury, stress and burnout, while students lose stable learning environments. The ripple effects reach families and communities.
The survey was conducted in spring 2025 and released by OECTA in February 2026. The full report is titled A System Under Strain: Violence and Harassment in Ontario Schools.
