Appendix H: Road map
In case of emergencies, call 911.
There are reporting requirements for school boards in the event of incidents of workplace violence.
The Ministry of Education
The Education Act
The Education Act contains sections that outline how principals should approach a serious student incident that may result in suspension. Specific reporting requirements, however, are outlined in the Ministry of Education’s Policy/Program Memoranda.
- Section 306(1) of the Education Act outlines activities leading to a possible suspension for students in Grades 4-12.
- As of September 2020, through Regulation 440/20: Suspension of Elementary Schools Pupils, principals can no longer suspend students in junior kindergarten to Grade 3 for engaging activities under section 306(1) of the Education Act.
- If a student in junior kindergarten to Grade 3 engages in any of the activities listed in Section 306(1), the principal of the school will not consider suspension. The principal must consider what positive behaviour supports the school can provide to the student.
- Section 306(2) outlines mitigating and other factors that the principal must take into consideration before deciding whether to suspend a student.
- Section 310(1) outlines activities for which a principal must suspend a student and also conduct an investigation with regards to possible expulsion.
Ministry of Education policy/program memoranda
The Ministry of Education outlines reporting requirements in the event of a serious student incident as well as violent incidents through policy and program memoranda.
- PPM 120 – Reporting Violent Incidents to the Ministry of Education outlines the reporting requirements with respect to “violent incidents” in schools.
- PPM 128 – The Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes sets clear standards of behaviour for all members of a school community to follow so that individual school boards can develop their own codes of conduct.
- PPM 144 – Bullying Prevention and Intervention: requires all school boards to have a bullying prevention policy and plan to help prevent and address bullying in schools. The PPM also references the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Forms located in PPM 145.
- PPM 145 – Progressive Discipline and Promoting Positive Student Behaviour: requires all school boards to establish their policies and guidelines on progressive discipline. It communicates that boards and schools should focus on prevention and early intervention as the key to maintaining a positive school climate in which students can learn. The PPM also includes the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Forms.
The Safe Schools Incident Reporting Form
When a serious student incident takes place, Section 300.2 of the Education Act requires an employee of the school board to report the matter to the principal as soon as reasonably possible. PPM 145 (Section 8) outlines requirements for reporting to the principal by completing and submitting the Safe Schools Incident Reporting Form (also known as the SSIR).
Principal’s investigation of a serious student incident
The principal must investigate incidents submitted via the Safe Schools Incident Form Part One. If the serious student incident meets PPM 120 criteria, the principal records this on the SSIR Part One. The principal provides SSIR Part Two “Acknowledgement of Receipt” to the board employee who reported the incident.
If the principal has decided that action must be taken as a result of a serious student incident, they will file a copy of the reporting form with documentation indicating the action taken in the Ontario Student Record of the student whose behaviour was inappropriate. The names of all other students that appear on the form – both students who engaged in the activity and students who have been harmed – must be removed from the form before it is filed.
Annual report of PPM 120 data to the Ministry of Education
School boards are required to report the total number of violent incidents, as defined in PPM 120, on an annual basis to the Ministry of Education through the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS). All violent incidents that occur on school premises during school-run programs must be reported to the Ministry of Education, whether the violent incident was committed by a student of the school or whether it was committed by any other person.
Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol
The Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol defines types of incidents that require mandatory or discretionary police reporting. Please refer to Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol 2015 for specific information about occurrences requiring police reporting.
Dual reporting requirement
If an incident meets the definition of workplace violence (Occupational Health and Safety Act) and a serious student incident, then both the employer’s workplace violence reporting form and the Safe Schools Incident Reporting form (SSIR) are required to be completed by the employee. The SSIR forms are submitted only to the principal. PPM 120 incidents are reported by the school board to the Ministry of Education through OnSIS.
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development
The Occupational Health and Safety Act
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) workplace violence is defined as follows:
- the exercise of physical force by a person against a worker, in a workplace, that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker;
- an attempt to exercise physical force against a worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker;
- a statement or behaviour that it is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against the worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker.
Under the OHSA the employer’s workplace violence program sets out how the worker reports workplace violence to their employer or supervisor.
The employer’s workplace violence program also sets out how the employer investigates incidents of workplace violence that have been reported by a worker.
In the event of a critical injury or fatality, employers must follow the reporting requirements under section 51 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. To report a critical injury or fatality call the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Health and Safety Contact Centre at
In the event of a person being disabled from performing his or her usual work or requiring medical attention because of a violent incident, employers must follow the reporting requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, section 52.
O. Reg. 420/21 sets out specific information that must be included in the written report or written notice. MLITSD has created an online form for this.
In either case, the Director, Joint Health and Safety Committee , or the health and safety representative, and trade union, if any, must be notified.
To understand more about the workplace violence requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, refer to the Workplace Violence and Harassment web page.
For information on Joint Health and Safety Committees refer to Guide for health and safety committees and representatives.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) requires employers to report workplace incidents or injuries.
School boards, which are employers within the meaning of the WSIA, can refer to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) website that outlines required employer reporting.
School boards can also refer to Regulation 1101 which outlines First Aid requirements under the WSIA.
In all cases, when an incident of workplace violence results in worker injury and/or lost work time, workers are required by their employer to submit a report through their school board WISB reporting system.