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Throwing books and upending chairs. Kicking, punching, yelling. Lockdowns regularly called during violent outbursts, meaning classrooms and even whole school floors grind to a standstill – and learning stops.

Parents of children at some schools in the Thames Valley District school board say they’re at their wit’s end when it comes to constant disturbances at their schools caused by students who not only interrupt their children’s education, but also scare them so much they no longer want to attend.

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For London parent Jeremy Buckle, whose child is in Grade 2 at Hillcrest public school in northeast London, the risk of what the system calls classroom inclusivity – putting students with severe behavioural problems in regular classes – is becoming too great.

“We’re used to seeing a police car parked outside the school but my worst fear is there will be an ambulance as well,” Buckle said.

Though it may come as a surprise to some, the rash of violence is taking place in classes with children as young as four, with a rise in incidents reported in the primary grades of kindergarten to Grade 3.