Victoria teachers say school violence an ‘epidemic,’ report tells of 6,000 incidents

But the report also described violence including self-harm.

One elementary school teacher described an incident in which a student head-butted an exterior door window “so hard that the window spider-webbed and broke.”

“This happened twice, on two different windows on two different occasions, by the same student,” the unnamed teacher was quoted as saying.

“We’ve also had students body-slam into the hallway walls several times in a row, for 10 minutes at a time, while the entire class was inside, feeling and hearing the vibrations and sound.”

The majority of teachers surveyed said school violence had increased during their career, with 52 per cent calling current prevention programs ineffective and almost half saying they had experienced violence in the workplace at least once a week.

The report recommended changes for both the school district and from the province, including providing “adequate alternative spaces” for students and developing a comprehensive plan for responding to violent incidents.

The Greater Victoria School District said in a statement that it could not comment on the report as it was still being reviewed, but added that safety and well-being of students and staff had always been the school district’s “top priority.”

“Every educator and student deserves to learn and work in safe environments, and the District continues to encourage collaborative conversations with community and educational partners to create safe learning and working spaces for all,” the statement said.

The Greater Victoria School District had previously been in the news after nine trustees were fired, then reinstated over the debate of whether to have police liaisons at local schools.

The trustees had argued the police liaisons made some students feel unsafe when it ended the program in 2023, but it was reinstated by the school district in 2025 after the trustees were removed.

The trustees were then reinstated this year.

Teachers’ association president Carolyn Howe said the report gave weight to just how serious the issue of violence in schools in Victoria had become.

“If we truly want safe schools where all students are excited to spend the day, we cannot have this level of violence taking place every day,” Howe said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Victoria teachers say school violence an ‘epidemic,’ report tells of 6,000 incidents

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