This column outlines a decision made by the Ontario Labour Relations Board regarding a teacher’s work refusal in relation to a violent student, offering important context for the issue of the responsibility of administrators in responding to incidents with safety plans for educators.
**Note**
Ontario Regulation 857 that teachers “must ensure the safety of students in your care first. At no time is a teacher permitted to leave any students unsupervised or unattended when exercising a work refusal. Students must not be left unsupervised at any time” (Ministry of Labour, 2014). Guidelines for work refusal are found on the Ontario Ministry of Labour website https://www.ett.ca/work-refusal/
