Mélissa Gélinas
Published in the Pontiac Journal on February 11, 2026
In response to the rise in uncivil behaviour in schools, the Outaouais school service centres have decided to take a strong action: launch an awareness campaign: “Let’s set an example”, which promotes respect for all. Announced on January 27, this initiative for parents aims to ensure a healthy, respectful, safe environment conducive to success.
Indeed, the school climate is not only built at school, but also at home, whether through the choice of words used, the way of communicating, or the way of managing conflicts, etc. Children observe and learn first from their parents, who serve as role models. “By addressing parents with respect and openness, we want to act at the source,” says Manon Dufault, Director General of the Draveurs school service centre. According to her, this action is not intended to accuse, but rather to create a common framework based on respect, respectful communication and collaboration.
In this regard, harsh words, tense exchanges and impulsive reactions are becoming more and more present in school environments. It should be noted that these acts can occur between students, between students and teachers, between teachers and parents and so on. Indeed, the rate of aggression has increased rapidly in recent years. Several
phenomena can explain this situation. According to Ms. Dufault, the arrival of the pandemic and the increase in mental health problems have certainly had an impact on the increase in inappropriate behaviour.
“Incivility doesn’t always take the form of spectacular gestures,” says Daniel Bellemare, Director General of the Centre de services scolaire au Cœur-des-Vallées. “It can slip into an email, a hurtful word or a hot reaction,” he adds. When these tensions build up, they can have serious consequences and harm staff, students and management. Indeed, the impacts are manifested by increased stress, decreased motivation and a feeling of insecurity, both among students and school staff.
According to a survey conducted in December 2024 among 1,869 respondents from the four school service centres in the Outaouais, 69% of them said they had witnessed or been victims of acts of incivility in the past 12 months. Of these acts, the majority, 1,288 respondents, were reported to have been subjected to offensive language.
In addition, 564 respondents also indicated that they had experienced these acts during informal exchanges, including email and social networks.
To carry out this campaign, several tools, such as posters, video clips and a website, will be used in the coming weeks in all schools in the region as well as on digital spaces.
“By launching this campaign, we are saying one thing clearly: that respect is not optional and that good citizenship is everyone’s business,” said Mr. Bellemare. (Trad. PJ)
Photo: Manon Dufault, Director General of the Des Draveurs School Service Centre at the launch of the “Let’s Lead by Example” campaign at Versant High School (January 27, 2026). (MG)
