Union decries ‘jaw-dropping’ increase in violence against Winnipeg School Division staff

The union that represents educational support staff in Manitoba’s largest school division is sounding the alarm over what its president describes as a shocking increase in violence against its workers.

New Winnipeg School Division data, released Friday by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, shows a roughly 118 per cent increase in student-related aggression incidents in the division’s schools, jumping from 884 in the 2022-23 year to 1,925 in 2025-26.

“When we received the numbers, it was really jaw-dropping, honestly,” union president Kyle Ross said in an interview.

“Every day, you have to get up in the morning and wonder, ‘Am I going to get spit on? Am I going to have my hair pulled? Am I going to get bit, head-butted?’ It’s not a thing that most people have to think about when they’re walking into their job.”

According to the data, educational assistants were the staff group most likely to be harmed by student-related aggression, making up nearly all the cases included in the numbers shared by MGEU.

The increase in incidents, which included hits, scratches, kicks and bites, also raise concerns that staffing levels aren’t matching needs, the union says.

Ross said while it’s hard to pinpoint any single cause for the increase, he hopes to see more educational assistants to ensure consistent care for kids who need support.

The MGEU wants the province to ensure safe staffing levels with the right training to improve safety for workers in schools. (Warren Kay/CBC)

“Our members tell us often, it’s much easier to deal with the same student when you build that rapport up — when they have that trust, when you tell them no and they trust you, it makes a big difference,” he said.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I know we have to find a better way.”

The union said it’s calling on the province to target support where it’s most needed, ensure safe staffing levels with the right training and strengthen enforcement of violence-prevention requirements. 

In a written statement sent by a spokesperson, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said the province understands that “investing in more staff is essential to providing kids with the supports they need and keeping our schools safe.”

She said the NDP government has provided funding in 2026 to hire 830 new EAs, but added the province recognizes “that there is more work to do,” and promised to continue working with school divisions and other partners.

Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson said the division has added 300 educational assistants over the last three years and reduced class sizes, and is confident it has “the right amount of people and the right people” in its classrooms.

“Now, it’s about really supporting those teams,” Henderson said in an interview.

“When there’s an incident with a child, often it’s because they’re trying to communicate something to us. We always say behaviour is communication. And so that’s part of it.”

‘Very complex to solve’

Darby Mallory, a doctoral student at the University of Ottawa, said she wasn’t surprised by the numbers.

Violent incidents in schools have been on the rise for years, said Mallory, who studies in the department of criminology and works on the university’s Violence and Harassment Against Educators project.

“It’s not simply an issue that is happening in a few schools, in a few different school boards, in a few different communities,” she said.

WATCH | Aggression toward educational assistants up, union says:

Violence against Winnipeg School Division staff spiking: union

Student aggression toward educational assistants jumped nearly 120 per cent over a three-year period, according to Winnipeg School Division data shared by the union that represents the EAs. The union is now calling for the division to ensure all workers are safe at school.

“I think the numbers make clear that it’s a big problem, that it’s one that is affecting teachers and education sector workers across this entire country. And I think that that highlights that the issue is very complex to solve.”

One contributor is a general decrease in school funding, leading to larger class sizes, staff layoffs and cuts to resources for students, Mallory said. Though some incidents involve students with specialized needs, rates of violence are high across the board, she said.

The disruption caused by an increase in violent incidents in the classroom affects both workers and students, Mallory said.

“That’s not only lost instructional time, but it also is very difficult for students to learn in an environment where they feel like they’re unsafe, where they feel like they’re walking on eggshells, and where they don’t know what is going to come next,” she said.

“It’s not only an issue that’s affecting workers. This is something that is affecting the entire school community.”