The number of suspensions, expulsions and violent incidents reported across the public school board are on the rise.
That’s according to a staff report from the school board’s trustee meeting on Monday evening.
In secondary schools, suspensions jumped nearly 80 per cent compared to the year before, the report says. Last year, there were 136 incidents in April compared to 244 through the month this year.
Meanwhile in elementary schools in the region, suspensions climbed from 115 to 182 year-over-year in April.
Expulsions from the school board have also jumped: so far this year, 21 people have been expelled from WRDSB schools compared to just 12 last year.
Also on the rise are reports of violent incidents. According to the staff report, these include reports of:
- Possessing a weapon, including a firearm
- Physical assault causing bodily harm requiring medical attention
- Sexual assault
- Robbery
- Using a weapon to cause or threaten bodily harm to another
- Hate or bias-motivated occurrences
Through April, the number of violent incidents reported increased from two to five year-over-year. From the start of 2019 to the end of April, there have been 36 violent incidents.
It’s not clear whether the number of incidents has actually increased or whether they’re being reported more often.
The numbers also don’t take into account overall school attendance increases.
