OPC Response to EQAO Statement

Last week the Minister announced a new advisory body to review the province’s approach to student assessment in response to the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) results. We know that there are many factors that contribute to how students perform on standardized tests, and we know that any process to consider changes in the education sector should include educators, including P/VPs. In response to the Minister’s comments, we released this statement to provide our feedback and recommendations.  

Workplace Violence Protection

The prevalence of calls from Members who incur physical harm when responding to or intervening in student behaviour is on the rise. Statistics indicating demonstrable, measurable evidence with which to advocate for legislative, policy and funding changes are often skewed because of our Members ‘under-reporting’ their experiences of workplace violence. The Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA) indicates that workplace violence includes acts, attempts and threats of physical force that could cause injury. Our Protective Services Team encourages all OPC Members to complete your district school board’s appropriate Violent Incident Report Form whenever you are subjected to behaviour that meets the above definition under the OHSA. Members can contact the PST at 1-800-701-2362 for support and advice.

Seeking Feedback on Substance Abuse Standards

Feedback is being sought on a new, pan-Canadian standard for substance use prevention, education and intervention in K-12 schools. The research-based, multi-tiered and developmental framework to help schools support students through prevention, education and intervention approaches that are both evidence-informed and compassionate is now open for public review. This standard will shape how Canadian schools respond to student substance use. Your insights will help ensure it works for diverse school communities. We invite you to review the draft and submit feedback through the CSA platform. You will be prompted to create an account. The deadline is January 20, 2026. For questions, contact the Project Manager, Brian Beckett at brian.beckett@csagroup.org. 

Quote to Ponder

“Mistakes are proof that you are trying; embrace them and learn.” – Principal William Harris

Media

Queen’s Park Update

There were questions in the House last week about EQAO results, hiring more adults in schools and violent incidents in schools.