Violence in Ontario’s publicly funded schools has risen by 77% since 2018–19, according to data obtained by Global News through Freedom of Information requests to the Ministry of Education.[1] In the 2023–24 school year — the most recent year available — 4,424 violent incidents were reported, up from 2,499 in 2018–19.[1] And as investigators from the Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network have documented, the true number is almost certainly higher, given the patterns of underreporting and minimization that characterize how many boards handle serious incidents.
The Peel District School Board led the province with 431 reported violent incidents, followed by the Toronto District School Board with 410.[2] Four of the five boards with the most incidents are in or near Toronto; the fifth is in Ottawa.[2] But the problem is not confined to these boards. Families from the Hamilton-Wentworth, York Region, York Catholic, Halton, Durham, and other boards have come forward with accounts of violence, inadequate response, and institutional silence.
These investigations by HSA — conducted through parent interviews, educator accounts, Freedom of Information requests, and public data analysis — connect directly to the policy compliance gaps that School Board Research has identified through systematic auditing. When boards fail to implement PPM 144 (bullying prevention and intervention)[3] and PPM 145 (progressive discipline and positive student behaviour),[4] the consequences are not abstract. They show up in classrooms, in emergency room visits, and in the lasting psychological impact on children and educators.
Watch: How Violence in Schools Is Impacting Your Child’s Well-Being
In this investigative segment, psychotherapist Kristin Greco explains the clinical impact of school violence on children’s emotional development. She states that witnessing violence in the classroom — whether physical or verbal, especially when cumulative — can produce symptoms of PTSD, and characterizes the failure to address this as negligence.[5]
Watch: The PDSB — Most Violent Board in the Province
Following a Global News report identifying the Peel District School Board as having the highest number of reported violent incidents in Ontario,[2] Anwar Knight examines the data and raises critical questions about what is not captured in the official numbers — incidents that were never reported, quietly dismissed, or kept off the books by administrators.
Watch: Grade 2 Teacher Physically Harmed Students — PDSB Knew, Parents Didn’t
Two parents share how they discovered that their child’s Grade 2 teacher had been physically harming students — a situation confirmed through a Children’s Aid investigation, as described by the families in the interview.[6] Despite these findings, no formal notice was sent to families. No outreach was made to identify other possible victims. The teacher was removed from one school and placed in another within the same board.
Watch: Grade 4 — Sexual Touching, Aggression, and Silence
A family from the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board describes a pattern of sexual touching, aggression, and repeated violence involving a student in their grandchild’s elementary school — and the board’s response, which included classroom evacuations using the code phrase “wiggle walk” without informing parents that the evacuations were due to violent behaviour.[7] The family reports that the aggressor received a toy robot as a reward after going several days without hurting anyone.
The Policy Connection
Every incident documented in these investigations implicates one or more provincial safety directives. PPM 144 requires boards to have defined procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to bullying — including cyberbullying — with specific timelines and supports for all students involved.[3] PPM 145 requires progressive discipline that is proportionate, corrective, and treats suspension and expulsion as measures of last resort.[4] PPM 128 sets the baseline expectations for codes of conduct, including behavioural standards and enforcement procedures.[8]
School Board Research’s audit of 60 boards found systemic gaps in compliance with these directives.[9] The accounts documented by HSA provide the human dimension of those gaps — the real-world consequences when policies exist on paper but are not implemented in practice.
What Parents Can Do
Know the policies. PPMs 128, 144, and 145 are publicly available from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Understanding what your board is required to do is the first step in holding them to account. Our Safe Schools Policies page provides parent-friendly summaries.
Document everything. If your child experiences or witnesses violence at school, keep a written record of every interaction with the school and board — dates, names, what was said, and what was promised.
Ask for the board’s policy. Request your board’s local policies on bullying prevention, codes of conduct, and progressive discipline. Compare them to the provincial requirements. If gaps exist, raise them formally in writing.
Connect with other parents. The pattern documented across these investigations is consistent: isolated families are easier to dismiss. Parents who connect and share information create accountability. The Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network provides a platform for families across Ontario to do exactly that.
Sources
[1] Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello, “‘Significant crisis’: Number of violent incidents reported in Ontario’s schools grows,” Global News, August 14, 2025. Data obtained by Global News through Freedom of Information requests to the Ontario Ministry of Education. The 77% increase is calculated from 2,499 incidents in 2018–19 to 4,424 in 2023–24.
[2] Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello, “These 5 Ontario school boards recorded the most violent incidents. Will police help?” Global News, August 15, 2025. PDSB reported 431 incidents; TDSB reported 410. See also Anwar Knight, “The PDSB — Most Violent Board in the Province,” Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network, August 18, 2025. Video.
[3] Ontario Ministry of Education, Policy/Program Memorandum 144: Bullying Prevention and Intervention, issued November 25, 2021.
[4] Ontario Ministry of Education, Policy/Program Memorandum 145: Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour, effective October 17, 2018.
[5] Kristin Greco, psychotherapist, interview with Anwar Knight, “How Violence in Schools Is Impacting Your Child’s Well-Being,” Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network, November 12, 2025. Video.
[6] Parent interviews, “Grade 2 Teacher Physically Harmed Students — PDSB Knew, Parents Didn’t,” Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network, August 6, 2025. Video. The Children’s Aid investigation is described by the families in the interview.
[7] Family interview, “Grade 4 — Sexual Touching, Aggression, and Silence,” Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network, September 2, 2025. Video. The “wiggle walk” code phrase and toy robot reward are described by the family in the interview.
[8] Ontario Ministry of Education, Policy/Program Memorandum 128: The Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of Conduct, effective September 1, 2024.
[9] School Board Research, PPM 128 Compliance Audit of 60 English-Language Ontario School Boards, completed late 2024.
School Board Research is an independent, evidence-based research initiative examining how Ontario’s 72 publicly funded school boards translate provincial safety mandates into local policy. Learn more at schoolboardresearch.ca.
Leave a comment