Stop directing hate at P.E.I.’s front-line school staff, their union pleads [Video]

“Hateful” messages, harassment and verbal abuse directed toward front-line school staff on P.E.I. have the union that represents them calling for compassion and understanding from the public. 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents school administrative assistants and clerical staff on P.E.I. A local official says its members have seen an uptick in harassment recently, especially after a recent decision of the Public Schools Branch (PSB) to remove student memorials from schools — a decision that has since been put on hold. 

“Sometimes people feel that the person that answers the phone is the person that is responsible, which we are definitely not,” said Tracy Campbell, president of CUPE local 1770 on P.E.I. 

“Staff is feeling really harassed in their community in some cases,” Campbell said. “There’s all kinds of examples where the person that answers the phone gets a lot of abuse, verbal, over decisions they have nothing to …