Trustees for Change calls for safer conditions in Chilliwack schools

CHILLIWACK – Trustees for Change, a five-member group of candidates for the Chilliwack Board of Education, has unveiled its latest policy proposal aimed at creating safer working conditions for SD33 students and staff and more orderly classrooms for teachers.

In a statement, Trustees for Change says the Chilliwack school board needs to advocate for safer working conditions in classrooms and throughout SD33 facilities.

“We are seeing much more than mere dysregulation in schools, we are seeing the dysregulation escalate into violence; violence in the workplace for staff and violence in the lives of our children who are present in our schools everyday,” candidate Marina Garmon said. “It is the trustees role to know what is going on in their schools – and to create a situation where staff and students can approach them with concerns and have collaborative solution-based discussions.”

Garmon, one of five candidates affiliated with Trustees for Change, says Chilliwack students deserve purposeful, focused, and intentional education that meets each student at their level, in settings where all students can succeed.

“These are some of the reasons why I’m running,” Garmon said. “As we said in our announcement last week, we need to stop dismissing, ridiculing or punishing workers, parents or students who report that a policy is not working and make changes rather than insisting that things are fine. As with other issues, it is very difficult to properly respond to a situation, if we push people/ideas away. The same can be said for violence within the school.”

Garmon says workplace injuries and psychological burnout for educators have increased, especially educational assistants, which can contribute to chronic morale problems and under-staffing.

“How often do we see educator turnover within a single year? Quite often. We need to do better for our Education Assistants (EAs), as they are assaulted with disturbing frequency, whether it be physically, emotionally, or sexually,” Garmon said. “Many are part-time employees and, consequently, do not receive the same extended healthcare benefits that full-time EAs and teachers do. This doesn’t just hurt workers, it hurts their homes. We need to work with CUPE to help design, build, and deliver better health supports.”

Garmon says she speaks from experience having worked hands-on in local schools, shoulder to shoulder with people she calls “courageous, dedicated, and industrious workers.”

“I know what EAs are being asked to absorb and, far too often, it is too much,” Garmon said. “We need to specifically re-evaluate current practices of evacuating classrooms, cancelling activities, and shutting down purpose-built spaces and programs. All children have the right to an education. Our district needs places like Chance and individual focused behavioural programs at the NLC back, we need more resource spaces in our schools, we need more support staff like behavioural specialists more readily available to our staffs, and we also need to try and get community stakeholders involved in our children’s education.”

She says parents and students need an education system that is intentional and purposeful

“We need to be able to provide supported, purposeful spaces and targeted programs led by specialized trained staff who can provide positive learning experiences for children who are struggling,” Garmon said.

The municipal election will be held on Saturday, October 17.