About three-quarters of principals and vice principals in Toronto schools said they are increasingly finding it difficult to manage student behavior, with many expressing concern about rising violence.

This is one of the points obtained from a recent survey conducted by the Toronto School Administrators Association (TSAA), which represents 1,000 principals and vice principals.

The survey, conducted in January, also found that 74 percent of respondents reported difficulties in "managing student behavior post-pandemic."

And nearly four out of 10 participants (36 percent) indicated that violence is on the rise in their school, "including fighting, verbal abuse, and in some cases, possession of weapons."

For their part, some administrators noted that they spend nearly 90 percent of their days dealing with issues related to student behaviors, crisis intervention, or student well-being. At the same time, officials noted that sometimes parental support in dealing with serious behavioral problems led to harassment from parents and/or community members, with 40 percent of respondents indicating a lack of support when dealing with confrontational interactions with parents and workplace harassment."

There have been a series of violent incidents in and near a number of Toronto schools in recent months, including several shootings and stabbings.

The survey conducted on behalf of the TSAA also found that nearly 90 percent of respondents (89 percent) feel "ill-equipped" to maintain school safety with their current resources.

Nearly half of respondents (47 percent) said that board members and supervisors "have not been responsive in terms of providing physical resources and staff to address ongoing school safety issues."

School principals also expressed concerns about safety features in their schools, given the rise in violence.

Only about a third of respondents (34 percent) indicated that their schools have functioning security cameras, while the remaining 66 percent noted issues with existing cameras, a lack of cameras where needed, or no cameras at all, according to the Transportation Security Agency.

Also, about 28 percent of respondents said there are issues with exterior doors, including not being properly locked.

The TSAA said in its report: "Members note they try to be effective facility managers, request improvements, but often face delays, late requests, workload accumulation, or lack of funding."