A Powerful Article about Teacher Assaults

Lately, I have read several blogs and discussions concerning the under-reporting of crimes in schools.  As both a school administrator and a Director of School Safety, this directly impacts my work.

Yesterday I came across this article in the San Francisco Chronicle  "Teachers learning to file assault complaints".  The article covers Connecticut teachers who face problems with being assaulted in schools.  It provided a chilling statistic for Connecticut schools.  "In 2010-11, the latest school year data available, there were 181 assaults on teachers and school employees in Bridgeport and 1,528 assaults in the state, up from 1,308 in 2009-2010."  The article goes on to add more chilling statistics: "There were more than 6,400 reported incidents of physical violence against school employees from 2006 through 2010, according to data collected by the State Department of Education. (Connecticut)"

The first response from a person in denial is, 'That's just in Connecticut.'  While it might be hoped for, that is not the case.  "Using figures from the National Center for Educational Statistics, the study found that 253,100 teachers -- about seven percent -- report being threatened with injury, and 127,500 report being physically attacked in 2003-04. In 2007-08, according to the NCES, the number threatened had risen to 289,600 and the number attacked rose to 154,400. Reported assaults were more likely in urban districts and in secondary schools, the data showed." Seven percent of teachers across the country report being threatened with injury, and approximately 3.5% reporting being physically attacked, and it's clear that a major problem exists.

The American Psychological Association (APA) conducted a study which called violence against teachers a silent national crisis, with over 25% of teachers nationwide reporting being threatened at school.  A preview of that study had a quote from the Task Force which conducted the study, "“These numbers did not differ by school setting, by gender of the teacher or by years of teaching,” said Task Force Chair Dorothy L. Espelage, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign."

The question always arises, "Why don't teachers report?" Many teachers are assaulted by young students, and they don't want the student to get into serious trouble. They may not want to get involved in a long, protracted legal procedure.  Perhaps they fear retribution, or they may not feel that they have the administration's support.  Sometimes teachers are dissuaded from reporting the crime, to help create the illusion that the school is safe.

This must not be.

School safety is a matter for all in schools, not just the children.  We cannot attract the best and brightest to the profession of education if people will fear for their safety.  People cannot perform at their best if they operate in fear.  It is up to us, those that dedicate ourselves to the protection of others, to create an atmosphere of safety and hope.  We cannot stand by as anyone is threatened or attacked.

Our society is in turmoil, with more and more children becoming aggressive.  Yet, they are not the enemy.  Their aggressive behaviors are, and it is from those that we must defend the other children, and the adults whose safety is our responsibility.

Sheepdogs protect the sheep from the wolves, from within the flock and from outside the flock.  We cannot look the other way, we cannot falter, we cannot fail.

Don't accept under-reporting, and don't allow the denial of others to influence your duty.

Who is with me?

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