St. Paul teachers threaten strike over school violence
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
To the president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers and the unions 3,800 members the issue of school safety is important enough to call a strike.
Ask yourself this, said Denise Rodriguez, who has led the union for the past year and a half. Do students and staff deserve to come to work every day and not expect to be assaulted?
Teachers want to know who has our back with this violence.
The assault last week of a beloved teacher at St. Paul Central has shocked parents, galvanized the union, rattled administrators and is raising troubling questions about student discipline and safety in the St. Paul Public Schools questions that have plagued the district for the past couple of years.
But, while teachers increasingly talk about being shoved, punched and threatened by students in what they call an escalating hostile environment, no one seems to be able to quantify just how often teachers in the metro area, or elsewhere in Minnesota, are assaulted by those they teach.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/silva-to-address-questions-of-teacher-safety-and-union-s-request-for-mediation/361318431/
JesterCS
(1,827 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)Resource officers have been stationed inside St. Paul public schools for more than 30 years. There once were as many as 17 such officers, according to school board records, but now there are nine -- seven assigned to a particular high school and two others who move around.
The numbers have fallen as the burden of paying for the officers has shifted to the schools. The city and school district used to share the costs evenly, but this year, the city will contribute just $100,000 while the school district pays as much as $854,000.
The contract requires each officer to participate in 16 hours of racial equity training each year.
http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_29181242/st-paul-school-board-chair-asks-review-campus
IVoteDFL
(417 posts)I remember back in junior high two girls were fighting outside by the buses at the end of the day and a teacher tried to separate them and he ended up with a broken nose.
Schools are an unpredictable environment. I think it's probably time for staff to reevaluate how to react to student fights. In this particular instance the teacher who was injured was known for breaking up fights. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Teachers aren't bouncers and more than likely aren't equipped to break up a serious fight.
bobthedrummer
(26,083 posts)Cop Block
http://www.copblock.org