Lockdowns have become a ubiquitous solution to the problems posed by school safety and dealing with an active shooter. However, the emergence of this new technique has not been adequately discussed or theorized. The present article will address this gap by using a school board in Canada as an empirical site to map out how the turn to risk…

This qualitative study delves into the perspectives of school leaders in a Canadian province, exploring their views on student suspensions and alternative approaches to school discipline. Amid a provincial advocacy organization's call for a review and reduction of suspensions in that jurisdiction, the study captures both constructive and critical…

The earliest School Resource Officer Programs in Canada date back to the 1970s. This study examines how police officers, teachers, school administrators, students, and journalists use a discourse of relationship-building between police and youth to frame School Resource Officers (SROs): who they are, the work they do, their roles in students'…

Police presence has increased in schools; however, little is known about the effects of positive police presence on academic or social-emotional outcomes in elementary students, even though their role often includes education and mentorship in addition to law enforcement. Results found that this is a recent area of interest with all articles…

COVID-19 poses serious challenges to the health and safety of childcare providers, and these challenges were particularly acute in early 2022 during the first Omicron wave when vaccines were not available for children. Childcare providers work in environments where the recommended methods to minimize COVID-19 infection were often not possible to…

This article explores the unexpected discovery of a significant divergence between the strong feelings of safety and belonging reported in a school and neighborhood safety survey, and the discursive, contradictory, and complex narratives about safety revealed by students' storytelling through theater and narratives shared with researchers in a…

Background/Context: While trans adults in the U.S. and Canada report higher levels of discrimination and harassment than cisgender adults, but the existing literature lacks comprehensive descriptions of trans school workers' believes about what would improve working conditions, satisfaction, and safety. Purpose: We interrogate systemic forces…

Schools are accountable for providing all students a safe and caring learning environment. When a child feels unsafe at school, personal relationships, mental health, and academics are negatively affected. The entire school community -- staff, parents, and students -- must work together to develop an effective safe school program. A carefully…

Bullying has deleterious effects on the health of youth, families, schools, and communities. These effects are especially pronounced for youth with special education needs specific to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Much of what is understood concerning the effects of bullying has been limited to face-to-face contexts. Despite the…

Drawing on data from a larger feminist study that explored how secondary English teacher candidates responded to a sexual trauma text set and pedagogy for teaching such narratives with Canadian adolescents, this paper examines how caretaker discourses emerged in response to these stories and learning. This especially manifested as emerging teacher…

The COVID-19 crisis has affected everyone, especially elementary school-aged children who might be too young to fully understand the sudden changes in familiar social norms as well as the unprecedented pandemic-induced educational context. This article is based on a case study that explores the perspective of the experiences of ten parents of…

From February to April 2022, 39 British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) members who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) participated in the Policing in Schools Project. They discussed their experiences and perspectives on police in schools and shared their visions for creating and sustaining safe, healthy, and equitable…

Although there is increased attention to the mental health needs of university students, far less attention has been given to mental health-related university policies. Many Canadian public universities have mandated leave policies that specify the conditions under which a student may be required to take a leave of absence from university. The…

This study examined the association between school climate and bystander responses to bullying. Participants included 26,176 secondary students (grades 8-12; 13,224 girls) from 76 schools across Western Canada, who were asked to complete a self-reported, district-wide, school-based survey. Results from a contextual effects model in a two-level…

As British Columbia's K-12 sector shifts from pandemic response to recovery, it is important to recognize students, staff and families have been impacted in many different ways and that some of the longer-term impacts of the pandemic are yet to be realized. Work is already underway across the province, with schools, school districts and community…