Student Assaults on Teachers: An Overlooked Crisis in Education
Teacher victimization, an often underpublicized and understudied area, is a significant concern in education. While public discourse often focuses on student safety, the verbal, physical, and psychological abuse endured by teachers from students is a pervasive problem that affects their well-being. This article examines the prevalence, risk factors, consequences, and potential solutions to address student assaults on teachers.
The Scope of the Problem
Consistent with previous research, studies reveal a significant incidence of violence and aggression directed toward teachers. Federal education data from the 2015-16 school year indicated that 5.8 percent of the nation’s 3.8 million teachers were physically attacked by a student, and almost 10 percent were threatened with injury. A survey from the American Psychological Association Classroom Violence Directed Against Teachers Task Force found that 44% of teachers report being physically attacked by students. More than half of the teachers surveyed experienced the destruction of personal property by students (computer, car, phone, jacket, home, etc.). A whopping 75% of teachers said they’d been verbally harassed by a student in some way during the past year.
Recent research offers some insights on the teachers who are being attacked, and what those incidents can mean long term. A recent study analyzed 2011-12 federal education data to see what factors lead to teacher victimization. The analysis excluded special education teachers. The study, published last year, found that female teachers were more likely to be attacked than male teachers. Teachers in schools with higher percentages of non-white students and higher levels of poverty were more likely to report being threatened or attacked-but data didn’t shed any light on the demographics of the students who attack teachers. In addition, new teachers were more likely than experienced teachers to be threatened or attacked, the research showed.
These statistics highlight a growing crisis in schools that needs to be addressed nationally.
Types of Violence Teachers Face
Teachers experience various forms of violence from students, including:
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- Physical attacks, such as hitting, kicking, punching, biting, shoving, and hair pulling
- Being spit at
- Having items thrown at them
- Verbal abuse, including screaming, cursing, and death threats
- Destruction of classroom items and personal belongings
- Stalking and harassment outside of school
- Threats against pets, children, spouses, friends, and colleagues
- Mocking and spreading vicious rumors
- Theft
It's a misconception that violence against teachers is limited to older students, elementary teachers are also being bitten, kicked, punched, stabbed with scissors, and more.
Risk Factors for Teacher Victimization
Several factors can increase the risk of teacher victimization. A study by Francis Huang, an assistant professor in the statistics, measurement, and evaluation in education program at the University of Missouri, analyzed 2011-12 federal education data to see what factors lead to teacher victimization. The analysis excluded special education teachers. The study, published last year, found that female teachers were more likely to be attacked than male teachers. Teachers in schools with higher percentages of non-white students and higher levels of poverty were more likely to report being threatened or attacked-but Huang said the data didn’t shed any light on the demographics of the students who attack teachers. In addition, new teachers were more likely than experienced teachers to be threatened or attacked, the research showed.
A study examined teachers’ perceptions of the schools in three categories-administrative support, student disengagement, and school discipline-as potential predictors of verbal abuse. Student disengagement was the only significant predictor of teacher victimization. An increase in teachers’ perception of student disengagement was associated with a significantly higher level of verbal abuse experienced. Teachers with advanced degrees (those beyond a bachelor’s degree) were 30% less likely to experience noncontact aggression. Special education teachers experienced noncontact aggression at a rate 1.9 times greater than teachers of general education subjects.
Consequences of Teacher Victimization
Being attacked by a student can have serious consequences for teachers. Almost 44 percent of teachers who had been the victims of physical assault said the attacks had a negative impact on their job performance, according to a study Moon conducted of 1,600 teachers.
Of the teachers reporting being victims of theft and or assault, 47% reported at least one kind of physical distress after victimization and 90% reported experiencing at least one type of emotional distress. Of those experiencing physical distress, 12.6% reported four or more symptoms. For those experiencing emotional distress, 26.4% reported experiencing four or more symptoms. The study team established and measured the following categories of physical and emotional distress resulting from theft and assault victimization at school:
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- Physical Distress: Headaches, Trouble sleeping, Changes in eating and drinking habits, Upset stomach, Fatigue, Muscle tension/back pain, Other physical problems
- Emotional Distress: Worry/anxiety, Anger, Sadness/depression, Vulnerability, Violation, Reduced trust in students, Feeling unsafe
The researchers concluded that violence and aggression against teachers-from students, parents, colleagues, and administrators-lead to anxiety and stress, which in turn lead to intentions to transfer schools or quit the profession.
The Role of School Administration
The school administration's response to teacher victimization is crucial. Teachers who feel supported by their administrators and think that their colleagues enforce the rules consistently are less likely to be victims of threats or attacks. If a teacher feels like the administrator has his or her back, this might send a signal-teachers might feel more protected, cared for, and enabled by the school administration. The students who victimize teachers might think, ‘Oh, I can’t get away with this.’ It might be a deterrent.
On the flip side, if teachers and students see that a principal won’t back up a teacher when a student misbehaves, “that might weaken the teacher and it might embolden the student at the same time,” Huang said.
The researchers found an urgent need for school leaders to:
- Take teacher victimization seriously and implement strategies and programs to address the problem.
- Implement comprehensive counseling programs, particularly those helping teachers who were repeatedly victimized.
- Adopt policies that support teachers’ procedural justice and fairness concerns.
- Recognize that handling teacher victimization with fairness and care can significantly reduce victims’ distress.
Addressing Teacher Victimization: Potential Solutions
Several approaches can be taken to address teacher victimization:
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- Improved Teacher Training: Mainstream teachers rarely get training on how to de-escalate violence in the classroom. Training should include simple tactics that a teacher can use to reduce the possibility of violence, from managing her tone and demeanor toward a student to understanding trauma. The researchers identified several areas where educators need training, including trauma-informed practices, socioemotional learning approaches, working with diverse groups, de-escalation strategies, and behavior and classroom management.
- Supportive School Environment: Creating a supportive school environment where teachers feel valued and protected is essential. This includes consistent enforcement of rules, administrative support, and a culture of respect.
- Restorative Practices: Some schools are implementing restorative practices to handle student discipline. Restorative practice is an increasingly popular approach in schools that says students need to take responsibility for their actions and work to right a wrong, rather than be punished under “zero-tolerance” policies. In its simplest form, [says that] hurt people hurt people. In one elementary school, this means that when a student’s emotions begin to run high, he or she can go to the school’s “green room” to take a break and de-escalate the budding conflict-there’s a place to do yoga, a punching bag, and a school leader who’s trained in restorative practice to talk to.
- Legislative Measures: In recent years, state legislators across the country have shown interest in reducing teacher victimization. However, bills proposed in the area have at times aimed to increase punitive measures toward students-a tack that rarely receives unified support among the education community. Critics of such legislation have said that it could contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, especially for students with disabilities, students of color, and students who have already experienced trauma. Thus, the challenge for policymakers and administrators is to find a way to protect teachers without jeopardizing students’ right to due process.
- Procedural Justice: When teachers feel good about the overall fairness of school procedures, they are more likely to be satisfied with the school’s response to reports they’ve been victimized by a student. There was a positive correlation between teachers’ perceptions of procedural justice within their school community and their satisfaction with both the schools’ responses to teachers’ complaints and the teachers’ own levels of physical and emotional distress.
What to do if you’ve been harassed, threatened, or attacked by a student
Teachers, please do not accept violence from students (or anyone else). The South Florida Sun Sentinal did an in-depth investigation into student violence against teachers. They found that in an 18 month period more than 100 students in Florida had threatened to kill their teachers, classmates, or themselves at school. As we know, some students do carry through with these threats. If you’ve been threatened, harassed, or attacked by a student:
- Document everything. Keep an incident log.
- Take photos of any damage to your classroom, property, or body.
- Don’t hesitate to move up the ladder. Go to the district office. Contact the superintendent.
- Reach out to the union right away. Keep them informed of everything that is happening - with the violent student, as well as the response from administration.
- Call the police. If you’re being attacked or feel in danger, don’t hesitate to call for help. You are important. Your experience matters. You deserve to be safe.
- Decide when to leave the situation. You’d tell your best friend to leave an abusive relationship or toxic job. “RUN!” you’d say. Follow your own wisdom. Don’t hesitate to quit your job to protect yourself if necessary.
tags: #student #assaults #teacher #statistics
