A Federal Way teacher was hurt on the job when a student jumped on her back. An Auburn teacher was forced to regularly evacuate her elementary school classroom because of a student acting out and throwing scissors. A Renton teacher was brutally beaten and sent to the hospital.
These are just a few cases in which KIRO 7 uncovered teachers overwhelmed or under attack in the classroom.
“It’s not a safe environment,” said the Federal Way special education teacher, who KIRO 7 is identifying as “L”. She was injured so severely in the classroom that she’s been on worker’s comp for more than a year.
“The mental health needs of our kiddos far exceed the supports that we are given in any school district,” said Cathy DeJong, a teacher in the Auburn school district.
Both teachers said the lack of support meant teachers and students ended up in stressful, unsafe situations. They said it also creates an environment where kids are unable to learn in class.
Now KIRO 7 is taking the concerns of these teachers straight to Washington state lawmakers, as the new legislative session kicks off on January 13.
“I was just in a lot of pain. I ended up going to the ER,” L said. “I love teaching. I just don’t love being hurt,” she said.
Her demands for the job are simple.
“When teachers go into an environment, they should be guaranteed that it’s a safe environment. Safe physically, mentally,” L said.
At the end of last school year, KIRO 7 surveyed more than a thousand teachers in Washington State about violence in the classroom. A vast majority of responding teachers – 79% – said they’d been subjected to physical violence by a student at least once. That was higher than the average of 71% (where teachers were surveyed across eight states).**
And 70% of surveyed Washington teachers reported they feel afraid to go to school at least sometimes (compared to 60% averaged across eight states).
DeJong teaches second grade in Auburn. She’s also part of the labor team with the Auburn Washington Education Association, the union that represents teachers.
“That creates an environment where the other students are very fearful,” DeJong said. She said last school year, she had students who were throwing chairs, pencil boxes, and scissors.
“The classroom needing to be evacuated to another room for safety purposes… students, are not learning. I’m not teaching reading when this is happening,” DeJong said.
Teachers say part of the problem is when a student repeatedly misbehaves, they often don’t have a good way to address the behavior.
“The mental health needs of our kiddos far exceed the supports that we are given in any school district,” DeJong said.
KIRO 7 took those concerns – and survey results – straight to lawmakers.
State Sen. Lisa Wellman (D-Mercer Island) chairs the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.
“Concerning for sure. It’s very concerning,” Wellman said.
DeJong says student discipline and support are bigger topics than any individual educator or district can tackle.
“We really need state legislators to revisit the work that they did around the disciplinary language,” DeJong said.
Back in 2019, the state passed a law limiting when a student could be removed or suspended from class. Lawmakers cited studies saying excluding kids didn’t help improve the behavior and often made things worse.
State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle) chairs the House Education Committee.
“We’ve been working on these issues for six years now. And it’s slow,” Tomiko Santos said. She acknowledged that there are educators who are facing physical and verbal assault. But also points out children are entitled to a public education – per the Washington State Constitution.
“There are two sides to the story. It is important that teachers be heard. It’s also important that we remember why we have an education system,” Tomiko Santos said.
“Do you worry that when a teacher is dealing with repeat students who are causing disruptions because they’re not able to get the help they need in that environment, it is disrupting learning for other students?” KIRO 7′s Deedee Sun asked.
“Absolutely,” Santos said. But she said students are still being restrained and isolated too often.
“What I really care about is that we come back every time in every discussion to this question: Are we creating the conditions in which teaching and learning can thrive? Are we creating a system that is student-centered and success-focused?”
Both lawmakers say this topic is something they’ll be examining this legislative session.
“We will and try to assess what we can do where,” Wellman said. “We also want to give teachers a feeling a safety and that there will be repercussions,” she said.
She said one area to improve through legislation is when teachers can respond, and how.
“If somebody has a sharp object and is ready to strike somebody, do you restrain them? Are you allowed to do that? Believe it or not, teachers are worried. Will I be sued? Etc. So we’re looking to do something this year in giving definition. You don’t want the student to be harmed or harm someone else,” Wellman said.
Tomiko Santos says a fix must go beyond the classroom.
“It is unrealistic for us to expect schools to do everything. What we also need to do is invest more in public health,” Tomiko Santos said.
Meanwhile, some teachers say their experiences have pushed them out of the classroom forever.
“Even if you heal, would you ever go back to teaching?” Sun asked the Federal Way special ed teacher.
“I don’t want to,” L said. “It is depressing. I love those kids, you know? But that environment isn’t safe for them. It’s not safe for me now,” she said.
KIRO 7 will be following bills that address classroom violence and student behavior throughout this legislative session.
**Note: teachers who chose to respond to KIRO 7′s commissioned survey may have been more likely to have had experience with classroom violence.
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