A very bad school. Not like any other high school. NEVER ATTEND HERE

Kindergarten Classrooms Are in Crisis—and No One Is Talking About It

I work in a kindergarten classroom with 26 children, one teacher, one ECE, and myself—the only Educational Assistant. Two of those children have special needs that require constant, individualized support.

But there’s only one of me.

Every day, we face moments of chaos and crisis. Children are being hurt. Educators are being hit, bitten, scratched, and spat on. Staff are going on medical leave from stress and injury. ECEs are being pulled away from their role to fill gaps meant for a second EA. The classroom becomes unstable. Learning is disrupted. The environment becomes unsafe—for everyone.

We are not okay.

In the past, EAs were assigned one-on-one to students with high needs. Today, we are being stretched thin—expected to do the work of two or three people without backup.

This is not just my story. This is happening in schools across the province.

The system is failing our children and burning out our educators. I am calling on the media, the public, and the government to pay attention. We need:

One-to-one EA support for children with special needs

Safe classrooms for students and staff

Respect for the professional role of EAs and ECEs

A system that protects—not exploits—the people who care for our youngest learners


This is a crisis. And silence is no longer an option.

I work at St Christopher Elementary CS. There are supposed to be 10 EA s on any given day. We have been running at 7-9 since December. We have lost 3 EAs to some sort of medical leave during the school year. All of those EA s have 1.8 full time years with the school board. We are tired and burning out having our schedules changed daily. We are watching kids go without coverage, seeing them lose months from their education. In every classroom we have kids "bundled" together so that 1 EA can work with all of them. Some classes have up to 4 high needs kids in them for 1 EA.
The amount of sickness that has arisen in this school year beats any year I've worked as an EA. (19 yrs including supply). So everyone is always sick.
We have a medically sensitive needs wheel chair bound child in a class with a highly volatile child with autism. The child with autism is getting next to no help causing him to lose a whole year of school. We have two children in one class that both have autism, one is echolelic and the other is highly volatile. The one who is echolelic has now started copying the other one dangerous outbursts. That's not even the half of it.
We have an old closet that is used for a movement room. Room enough for a pressure canoe, mini trampoline a tiny tent and a little tykes basketball net. We have no program support area to take the kids other than the library if it's available. No classroom of our own for resources and such. Our lunch bunch happens in the library along side of the musical rehearsals. This is the hardest year I've ever worked in this job. Mainly because there is no where to go.
However, the EA s we have are not very motivated either. The supplies we get are warm bodies that know nothing of the profession! I have a college certificate in this profession and feel quite insulted that I had to wait 2 years after graduating to be considered to be hired, then another 3 years of supply before becoming full time. Now the profession is treated like garbage.
I love what I do, I hate what is being done to my career.

Dear…


On behalf of myself, my fellow student support workers and the students we work with, I am writing to you today to share my experiences and express my concerns about a school system in crisis.

I have been working in the education system for over 20 years; my career in education began after several years of working in the private sector and spending a few years at home with my small children. When I reentered the workforce, I had the opportunity to work at a high school as a Student Supervisor and was introduced to the work Educational Assistants do for students with special needs. I felt a calling, and chose to go back to school, attending part time evenings and weekends to earn my Educational Assistant College Certificate. I started working in schools and was excited to be a part of the educational process. Today, I am frustrated, disheartened, spirit-broken; I am afraid for my physical safety at work and suffer mentally from what I have experienced and witnessed in the recent past, while doing my job.

When I started as an EA, the job consisted of attending to the academic, physical, emotional, and behavioural needs of students who, with additional support, could find a level of success in their education as well as their ‘life skills’ abilities. This was done in mainstream classes and a variety of small class programs. My day would consist of altering lessons according to the students’ learning needs, supporting them with the completion of their assignments, providing assistance with improving speech etc., assisting with social skills and helping them to self-regulate emotional and behavioural difficulties. There were only occasional incidents where a student would lash out physically and these would be addressed in a manner that made it clear the behaviour would not be tolerated at school. I was expected to dress professionally and it was expected that I would be treated with respect by the students. It was a learning/working environment that was safe and conducive to student success. Flash forward to today: the job still consists of attending to those very same needs but the environment has vastly changed. Students with very diverse needs and levels of ability are being placed in the same small classes. My attire now includes Personal Protective Equipment ( padded jacket, arm guards, sometimes a face shield, shin guards). I now witness and am subjected to almost daily incidents of physical aggression (sometimes multiple incidents in one day), as are the students I work with. It is an unsafe, unhealthy environment for staff and students and not conducive to successful learning outcomes for all.

The ‘Right to an Education’ for all must be balanced with the ‘Right to a Safe and Healthy Work/Learning Environment’. If we are going to honour the ‘RIght to an Education’ and not diminish it to a ‘Right to be in School’ we need to be providing the programs that recognize the
Individuality and varying needs of students. Students with special needs require programs that will provide the education for their intended outcomes. These outcomes may be higher level education, the ability to join the workforce, independent living, among others. These outcomes involve different education processes with some overlap. They also come into the school system with a variety of barriers to their success (physical barriers, lack of social skills, lack of ability to self-regulate behaviours, emotional difficulties, learning gaps…). For the most part, students with different ‘barriers’ can be taught within the same classroom environments. However, an exception should be those students who pose a significant physical risk to others. These students deserve the ability to attend a program that will help them learn to self- regulate their behaviours so they can socially interact in a positive manner with their classmates and educators - so that they can benefit from the education provided in the class. Until the self- regulation piece and its underlying causes are addressed these students will not be able to experience an education that meets their potential outcomes.

The success of other students in the class is also affected when a student acts out in a physically aggressive manner. Students’ learning is interrupted when they have to be evacuated from the classroom or if behaviours arise that interfere with a lesson. Some students become afraid to come to class - some dropping out entirely, having witnessed aggression towards staff and other students. For some, the environment creates increased anxiety and results in a decline in that student’s ability to self-regulate and their ’behaviours’ increase. In the class I work in, during the past year, we have had 2 students leave the program because they do not feel safe in the class; we have several students who have expressed fear of being in the classroom and students whose ability to self regulate has digressed due to their increased anxiety (being evacuated regularly, interruptions to lessons, witnessing aggression towards staff…) This is where we are failing to provide a ‘Safe and Healthy Learning Environment’ for all students. We are not honouring their ‘RIght to an Education’ by not providing an environment that is conducive to their best opportunity for a positive outcome.

A ‘Right to a Safe and Healthy Work Environment’ should also be applied to education workers in a more serious manner. In offices and other environments all over, we see signs and posters that tell us certain behaviours will not be tolerated against workers yet it has come to be tolerated towards education workers and accepted as ‘part of the job’. ( Parents and other caregivers of students at our school have actually expressed that they believe it is part of our job to accept this behaviour).We have workers suffering serious physical injuries in increasing numbers. Workers are experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety and other mental difficulties due to their own experiences and witnessing incidents of aggression towards their peers. I, myself, filed 18 violent incident reports in the last year; these are incidents that happened against me and does not include the number of incidents I witnessed against fellow workers or students. I was off work for over a month due to the mental effect of some of these incidents, and am off again for mental health reasons related to work. Education workers with years of experience and knowledge are leaving the profession due to the increasing violence in special education classes. Education workers want to be in their classroom helping students and for many there is a sense of guilt when they are absent as this puts added pressure on co-workers and disrupts the routine of students. Education workers deserve to feel safe, both against physical harm and mental stress, while they are attempting to serve the special needs community through their work. We too have a ‘Right to a Safe and Healthy Work environment’.


There has been a lot of the ‘Blame Game’ happening over the state of the school system and Special Education in particular, government blaming government, government blaming school boards, school boards blaming government, lack of funding, etc. etc. It’s time that all who have the power to affect change stop blaming ‘the other guy’ and get together to find a solution so that the needs of the students in Special Education can truly be met -so that we are truly honouring their ‘RIght to an Education’ and not just giving it lip service by saying they are in school. Politicians and others have claimed “We value our Education Workers.” . Then prove it, bring back appropriate small classes that will serve the students and create safer work environments for the staff. Stop trying to hide what is going on in the schools, let’s bring it out in the open so we can seek solutions. Acknowledge what Education Workers are experiencing so that we can find ways for them to feel supported instead of feeling unheard and under appreciated.

"Not enough money” you say? If we don't provide the funding necessary to provide appropriate small class placements and to staff those classes following realistic staffing models: What will the long term cost be of supporting students, after their education journey, who were unable to overcome their barriers and were unable to attain learning that would help them become more independent, help them find employment, help them self-regulate and become socially involved in their community in a positive way? What will be the cost of providing supply workers for absent Education Workers, the cost for providing care to injured employees, the cost for those workers who suffer long term disabilities who can no longer perform their jobs? And of what worth is the negative effects on our students and staff emotionally and mentally? What will be the cost to family, friends, classmates, coworkers should an incident take place that is truly life-altering or life-taking to a student or staff?

Our school system is in crisis, our schools are in crisis, many of our students are in crisis and school staff are in crisis. We need to acknowledge this and start taking it seriously in order to truly be respecting the Rights of all -’to an Education’ and to a ‘Safe and Healthy Learning / Work Environment.’

Sincerely,

I’m listing all of the incidents that I’ve experienced (that I can remember )since the start of my EA journey in late 2017.

On a regular basis I am subjected to: slapping, kicking, punching, pinching, spitting, sworn & screamed at, pushing, foot stomping & head butting.
Occasionally I am subjected to: body slamming, biting, hair pulling & threats
Once I was slapped hard across the face, whipped with a gait belt across the face just below the eye and knocked in the head by a students head

Sadly I’ve witnessed several violent incidents against coworkers & students.
This is physically and mentally exhausting.

Thanks you for collecting our stories and hopefully shedding light on this crisis!

I have been an EA for 20 years. This job is not the same job it was 20 years ago. Over the last 5 years or so it has taken a downward turn. My stress level has skyrocketed! Just going into work is stressful because I never know what the day will hold. Less and less, I am helping students with academic needs. More and more I am facing students with extreme violent behaviors. Behaviors that not only impede their ability to learn, but also impede other students' ability to learn. Every day I go into work I hope I can leave the same way I came in, but it has gotten to the point that leaving with "only" a scratch or bruise that will heal quickly is a good day, in what other job do you say that. Since 2019 I have had 3 concussions and 1 count of whiplash at the hands of students I work with, before 2019 I had never had a concussion or been seriously injured on the job. I am currently off work recovering from a concussion and now am facing seeing a neurologist to ensure there hasn't been any brain damage from all the trauma to my brain. This violent behavior not only takes a physical toll on my body, but also a toll on my mental health. Daily my co- workers and I are faced with being spat at and on, sworn at, kicked, punched, and bit. You can only endure so much of that. I am in tears and I see them in tears too. I feel these incidents are not taken seriously enough; every child has a right to an education, I would never argue that, but I have the right to feel safe coming to work. I have the right to have something left in the tank at the end of the day so my own kids get some of me too. So often I have nothing left to give after being at work. I struggle constantly to reconcile loving this job and being so passionate about it, but also legitimately wondering how much longer I can do this for.

I have worked at St. Thomas for a number of years and can whole heartedly say that the reason I stay is because of the dedicated and welcoming staff. The support staff go above and beyond to help the teachers with their programming. All staff work collaboratively, and support each other. When there are issues, in my experience, maturity and integrity reign, and they are resolved. It is for these reasons I stay. It is my second home.

Excellent experience when I supplied at St. Thomas Aquinas. Staff and admin were very helpful and welcoming. I continue to take ea supply calls there and highly recommend.

I have supplied at St. Thomas many times. I have felt welcome every time. The staff are welcoming and very helpful. I highly recommend supplying or taking a full time there.

Supply here often. Staff is welcoming and supportive. I accept ea positions often. Highly recommend.

I’m Lori, and I’m a retired Educational Assistant.
I worked with the Durham Catholic District School Board for nearly 25 years. I loved my job. I loved the students, and I loved the staff I worked with. I never imagined I’d retire early—but I did. And it wasn’t because I wanted to. It was because I didn’t feel safe, respected, or supported anymore. I had to chose a school for this story but this school doesn't necessary represent the good or bad experiences I am about to share.
Over the years, I’ve been hit, bruised, and bloodied—black eyes, busted lips, and more. At one point, strangers and even my own family thought I was being abused at home. But the truth is, these injuries came from students who were in crisis—students who needed help, but didn’t get the support they deserved.
We talk a lot about how the government is failing schools. That’s true. We absolutely need more funding and better resources. But that’s only part of the story. Leadership in our schools matters just as much. I worked in some schools where I felt appreciated and safe—where leadership made a real difference. And I worked in others, with the same funding, where I felt dismissed and afraid to speak up.
The Board has policies around harassment and bullying. But policies don’t mean much if they’re not enforced— staff are being harassed and ignored, even by those in charge.
That’s why I’m sharing this. Because I know these conversations are happening behind the scenes, and they need to be brought into the light. If you’re a leader and this message hits close to home—reflect. Change starts there. If you’re working in a school and feeling like I did—you’re not alone.
To every EA still showing up, doing the hard work, I see you. I know your battle. You deserve respect. You deserve safety. And you deserve to be heard.
It’s time we all listen.

St. Thomas Aquinas is a berg busy and challenging school, but having worked there a few years and most recently I am very satisfied with the wonderful staff and the support from administration (Plommer and Kay) this year.
Like any school there will always be challenges however, the staff truly cares about the students that they work with and work hard to make sure that the students needs are met every day.
This school may not be for everyone, but it is a welcoming community and worth spending time working here to see what a great school it is.

0/10

Disappointing experience. Safety concerns don’t always get addressed.. Would not recommend.

I’m an educational assistant. I work in a small class. I’m hit kicked and punched every day at my job. There have been days that I go home unable to take care of my own young children due to injuries

Our children have attended this school since 2019. There is an exceptional team of educators and support staff at this school. The ECEs and teachers that we have dealt with have been incredible, with special mention of Campbell, Chapman and Ranieri for being the gold standard. The office staff have changed over the years but current ladies are very responsive and friendly. Our family personally has not had any experience dealing with the EA/SERT team. The custodial team is friendly and attentive, the school always looks clean and safe. The school is bursting at the seams with students to the point where the staff room has become a teaching space and the staff are now to use the stage as their break room which often also is the site for things like dance practices leaving them with no dedicated break space away from students. Parking around the school is a massive headache. Unfortunately, the atmosphere in the school has been negatively impacted this year by the arrival of a new principal. The entire school community has been gravely affected by this. New protocols that seemingly exclude parents from the school community, it feels like we are barred from the school and they are hiding things. The principal is combative and doesn't seem supportive. Progressive discipline doesn't seem to be happening and it has been a very disruptive year behaviour wise in our child's class. Other changes the principal has made have really disappointed the students (ie. removing the birthday shoutouts from the morning announcements, not permitting students to play with balls on the pavement, closing the playgrounds to students from Thanksgiving until Victoria Day).

I will never recommend this school to anyone nor will I step one foot into this building with this EA still employed here. She is a bully and creates a hostile, unsafe work environment. I’m not sure how she gets away with this all. Admin needs to step up and discipline this type of behaviour!! I’m sure they know what is going on in the school but turn a blind eye.

So far my experience with Hillsdale P.S has been positive. The school fosters a warm, inclusive environment where students feel safe, encouraged, and excited to learn. We’re happy to be a part of this school community.

Working with high needs students that run. We are working with more than one student in the classroom.This creates a safety concern. We are so busy that toileting is done with only 1 EA and student. Shouldn’t it be done with 2 adults at all times?

On a daily basis staff are subjected to verbal and physical abuse from the students. This means special needs students and non special needs students. If your child attends this school they have seen staff get hit, be cursed at and be treated with utrer disrespect.The staff feel stressed and like there is nothing they can do about it. We do not feel supported by administration or the board. The board needs to provide more support staff. The current support staff are being asked to watch multiple special needs students at a time or are being pulled to deal with an emergency situation in another area of the school. This is putting the staff and students in unsafe positions.

As a teacher at St. Anne, I am lucky to work with many exceptional educators including our administration. Our school population has grown exponentially over these last two years, and throughout these changes, our administration has welcomed families and supported staff with this growth. Our admin are always outside on supervision and visible in the halls and classrooms making it a point to know student’s names and greet each with a smile. Our administrators treat our students with respect and kindness, and promote an environment where educators are supported to do the same. In such a big school with so many staff and students it can be difficult to create community but I feel this is a priority for administration and they have done a great job.

One of the biggest issues with St. Anne’s is how poorly the staff are treated. There’s a clear lack of appreciation for the teachers and support staff who work tirelessly to keep things running. Morale is visibly low, and it’s no surprise—there’s little to no recognition for hard work, and constructive feedback is rarely given.

It often feels like the administration is more concerned with appearances than actually supporting their educators. Decisions are made without involving or even informing the staff, and when problems arise, the blame is quietly pushed onto them rather than addressed properly.

This lack of respect and value for staff directly affects the students. Teachers who feel unsupported can’t give their best, and you can see it in the classroom atmosphere. High turnover has also become a problem, which only adds to the instability.

St. Anne’s needs to seriously reevaluate how it treats the very people who form the backbone of the school. Until then, I can’t recommend it as a place for either students or staff to thrive.

As an employee, this angers me to write this because this school was ONCE so so great!! To have a great school, you need a strong admin team who values the staff, and is empathetic & sensible. Also, part of maintaining a successful workplace is working where your admin team values your contributions and input. St.Annes is not this place. There is no appreciation from admin for the chaos we control, the kids that we love, the laughter and the teaching we give and the lives that we try to normalize while providing a save place for kids to be themselves!! I feel so undervalued as an EA. There are so many needs and not enough EAs or support for one on one. I feel parents are lied to, support is taken away from those who need it most with no communication to parents about this. I’ve been feeling unappreciated for all my efforts and contributions to the team. But I don’t need a medal, I’m just looking for respect, as I’m sure others are also. I’m proud of the work I do, But feeling deflated and unappreciated, hits hard below the belt. Knowing that admin doesn’t have your back is it really terrifying situation! Be careful don’t turn around, keep eye contact at all times when walking away. This is not a safe place, nope.

This school is a joke. 4 principals and nothing is ever done to fix a problem. Superintendent can’t even reply to an email. No support for students who need it. Teachers are horrible, don’t follow rules and make up their own. Screaming in students faces. Absolute joke of a school with zero accountability even when proven wrong. 0/10 do not recommend.

Principal is very micro managing. Feels like you're under a microscope constantly. Program Support is also this way. I Didn't enjoy working here as a supply staff.

This school had so much potential and for years was run by incredible admins. The last few years however have been an absolute dumpster fire! Constant staff changeover, kids running around ,students frustrated ,staff frustrated and needs increasing. Recipe for disaster!!!!!
They have lost their best staff and this is just compounding the problem. The school board needs to make some changes to admin but would rather see over 20 staff leave. Run away from this school.

I’m not even sure how to explain the stuff that goes on here. There is no admin support to the staff, it’s like they don’t exist. They are only worried about how it appears/their image and really don’t give the staff the support they need. There is a definite divide here. The behaviours are out of control and there is never any follow through to deal with it. Kids rule the school. They do what they want when they want without any real fear of consequences. It’s sad I’m told it never used to be this way. The staff all talk about how times have changed and they used to feel so supported before. I understand there has been admin change but this shouldn’t be happening. Staff should feel safe when they go to work. The EAs are great for the most part and I feel support each other as best they can. However I have seen admin not treat them with the respect they deserve and if I’m being honest some have been treated extremely poorly. This school is very large and needs an Admin who knows how to support the team and deal with extreme behaviours. Sadly this team isn’t it.

This school has gone downhill over the last 3–4 years. Many staff, including myself, left last year due to poor working conditions and a complete lack of support from administration. Especially hard-hit are the educational assistants, who are doing their best while being constantly understaffed and overwhelmed. Safety is a major concern — students often run through the halls unsupervised, and violent or disruptive behaviour is rarely addressed with little to no consequences. Staff are regularly exposed to violence and classrooms are frequently evacuated. There’s nowhere near enough support for students with special needs. If you think your child is getting a quality education, think again. They’re being exposed to chaos, violence, and a culture of disrespect. It’s time to ask what’s really going on.

Past employee here. Amazing program support and admin. Always felt supported and heard. Collaboration is always happening. Wish more schools would follow suit.

Never in my years working have I experienced a low staff morale (in the last 2 years )as at St. Anne’s. Staff are mentally and physically exhausted with little to no support from admin. There are far too many students in the school with no clear boundaries or consequences for misbehaviour. Which in turn puts staff in dangerous situations. Staff are beat up(one sent to hospital) because a dangerous situation was not made awareness to staff, slapped, hit, kicked, spit on, verbally abused…etc. Staff really do their best to provide each other with support when needed but there is a lot of segregation in the building, there’s no “team” playing. I truly think this is from admin not listening to the needs of staff. Things are not dealt with properly and in turn, people are hurt. It really feels like an unsafe place to work. Sad to say.

Extreme safety issues, lack of support, Admin not supportive/lack lustre. Amazing staff, the E.A’s are top tier.

My son has been spit on twice by a student that is not in his class or grade. Both times no one from the school contacted me and I had to hear about it from my 11 year old. Unacceptable.

Staffing levels do not equate the needs of the school. EAs are often managing 2 plus special needs students and the students who are lower academically get very limited, if any support.
There is no standard for any disciplinary action. Staff are often exposed to verbal abuse, students always have the upper hand as there is no follow through. Unacceptable behaviour becomes the standard because of this and staff feel frustrated and helpless.
Being hit, slapped etc has become the norm for EAs. It shouldn’t be. It’s unacceptable that violence is so accepted and no one is looking for a solution. Yes ,PPE is provided but the term educational assistant implies you are helping students with their education not dressing in PPE to face a day of physical abuse. Something needs to change. I don’t think this schools experience is unique I think this stems throughout the Catholic board across the schools. I have worked in many and it also applies there too.

My experience with the school, we have very supportive staff that work with students (EA team is fantastic and very supportive of each other)
Custodians and secretaries are very welcoming and extremely helpful when dealing with the school.
There is a lot of behaviours and the team tries to manage them the best they can, but there’s no discipline. I’ve seen way too many staff being injured by students they are supporting and lots of destruction of property from these students. Custodians work their behinds off and constantly try to clean the school as good as possible but with these behaviours and no consequences being given, sometimes school is in disrepair.

EAs that have worked here for years are bullies and have zero respect for any new supply staff or new EAs that work here. They are unfriendly and rude.
If you have worked here even briefly - you know exactly whom I'm talking about.

This school used to be fantastic! The moral was high, the kids were happy and the support was there. Now St.Pat’s is so low on moral, it is a chore not a pleasure to go to work. I have worked in many schools in this board and I have to say this school has gone so far down the tubes I don’t know if it can ever come back to what it used to be. The administrative staff are harsh and unsupportive, making it difficult to find support when there is a problem. The lack of support in the classrooms for children with special needs is ongoing and only getting worse. It feels very alone and segregated as a staff, with a staff turnover rate that demonstrates the lack of passion teachers have when working there. I think if the administration was moved around and new people were to come into these roles, maybe the staff moral would begin to turn around.

I have to say I’ve never experienced such a staff low as in the past two years working in this school environment. It doesn’t seem anybody walking the halls is happy (with management). Although staff is very supportive to each other, I see EAs working hard every day to support their students with shortage of staff and high level of students that need support. Support is taken away from some students and given to others & students are clustered in areas because of shortages. Overall, staff morale is very very low. Us teachers, and EAS are struggling, not getting support that is needed in the classrooms resulting in burnout! We can all pretend to a certain point , but this is actually ridiculous!

I am an educational assistant. I work in a small class with special needs students. I am hit/kicked on a regular basis. I’ve needed to leave work to see a doctor. Thankfully I’ve never been off long term, yet. We are constantly short staffed. We sometimes have to evacuate our class due to a violent student. Our admin are great and do their best to support us. These students need more help, more support. We are failing these students because our hands are tied by the board and the government. Students and staff should not have to be fearful to go to school/work.

I’m a supply Ea and I took this school off my list. Didn’t feel safe or welcome.

Staff members are regularly subjected to verbal, physical, and even sexual assault by students, creating an unsafe and hostile work environment. Despite repeated concerns being raised, administration and board officials have failed to implement effective measures to protect staff, students, and visitors. The lack of action has led to a decline in morale, with many staff feeling frustrated, unsupported, and undervalued.

Staff morale is at an all-time low, with many employees either on stress leave or having left entirely due to poor working conditions. There is little to no discipline, with students frequently running through the halls unchecked. Staff concerns are routinely dismissed by administration, leaving employees feeling unheard and undervalued. The lack of support has created a chaotic and unsatisfying workplace. Overall, this is not a place where staff feel respected or supported.

Great Staff, many whom give it their all each day. Lot of teachers that honestly want the best for their students. Amazing support staff (EAs, ECEs, Secretaries, and Custodians). They are the most important and vital part of the success of the students. Definitely not enough support staff (Secretaries, EAs and Custodians). Those staff members are constantly running around trying to facilitate 25 tasks at once. Worried about what will happen as this school grows to over 1000 students. With the right funding levels, this school could provide the best support, but with reductions in funding, not sure what the future will hold.