Several Nebraska teachers joined forces this morning to detail the incidents that have left them physically and emotionally scarred at the hands of students. They're trying to get the legislature to pass LB147, which "allows a teacher to have a student removed from their classroom when the teacher has documented that such student has repeatedly interfered with the teacher’s ability maintain a learning environment or if the student’s immediate behavior is so unruly, disruptive, or abusive that it interferes with the learning of other students. The student can be returned to the room when a plan is in place to ensure safety and success. It also outlines a teacher’s right to physically intervene when a student becomes violent and is a danger to themselves or others."
As you can imagine, it's that last part that is facing the most opposition. But, my God, look at just a few of these stories our state's teachers have detailed to the Nebraska State Teachers Association:
I was punched in the stomach while pregnant on more than one occasion. I ended up losing my baby. My doctor couldn’t say it was because of it, but I know it was.
I was walking around collecting an assignment when a student stabbed the tip of her pencil into the flesh between my thumb and pointer finger.
One student was having a meltdown -- he kicked me numerous times, scratched my arms, bit my arms and hands. Another incident, a student tore up the classroom, threw objects at me, screamed obscenities, and I had to chase him when he escaped from the school.
I've had a student come across the table at me, told me he was going to kill me – this student had previously stabbed a teacher in the neck with a pencil. This student’s father came to my classroom and yelled at me because I called HHS.
Student was hitting and punching other students. When asked to sit out, the student refused. I went to bring student inside to de-escalate until student could be compliant again. Entering the school, the student bit my arm (and) spit in my face.
I had a student that destroyed my classroom daily. My students and I had to evacuate multiple times. My things were destroyed. The student threw scissors at other kids and even went through all their backpacks and dumped everything out of them.
A student hit me, kicked me and closed a door on me resulting in several bruises. I started taking antidepressants after that school year. This year, at 9 months pregnant, I had a student throw scissors at me, throw chairs in the classroom and verbally abuse me and other students. All of these occurred in a general education first grade classroom setting.
...he took his fist to my head and hit me so hard that I had a headache for days afterwards.
A student brought a gun to school in his backpack. It was taken away and he was then sent to class down the hall from us. As teachers, we just heard it from the teacher who was involved. No lock down, no email sent to us teachers who are responsible for keeping students safe. Later our administration sent an email to staff and parents saying, “no one was in danger.” I disagree - any time a gun is brought to school by a student, we were all very much in danger – but most teachers didn't have a clue until hours later.
A student became upset because it was loud in classroom. Student began kicking other students and throwing school items. I escorted student into hallway using Mandt certified training. The student bit me and began punching me and hitting me in the face. The student also made several more attempts to bite me. Even with certified Mandt restraint I was bit and punched by student.
Student walked across room as he was picking up belongings and hit me in left arm. I told the principal about the incident but the student returned to my classroom the next day. When I told him that his behavior was not okay, he said, "but it felt good.” The same student assaulted me when I told him to put his phone away. He pulled me to the floor and threw my back out when he took me down. The student was expelled for 3 days; however, when the principal told him his consequence and stated, “You cannot hit staff” the student responded, "Yes I can." The third time he assaulted me I was telling him he needed to go to class. He refused. He then hit me upside the head, pulled my hair and took me to the floor. He was attempting to kick me when he was restrained by two other teachers who were walking by and saw the attack.
Student was asked to go to hallway to do a cool down per behavior plan. Upon trying to process with student after timed cool down time was complete, the student swung at me and the Para. He ... slammed my head into a brick wall concussing me. This student was returned to my classroom the next day.
And on and on and on. Is this just going to be something we decide is OK for our teachers and our children to put up with in school?
As one teacher put it in one of these statements: Something NEEDS to be done. As an educator for 30+ years I have witnessed a huge shift in the mental state of our students and how it has impacted the classroom. It pains me to see the mental and physical abuse inflicted on many of my co-workers with little or no support for us. What are MY rights?