Dozens of teachers terrorized by out-of-control students flee school district

[Theinquisition]

https://nypost.com/2017/11/21/dozens...hool-district/

A group of Pennsylvania teachers is sharing horror stories of getting beaten up by pupils as young as 6 — and begging their school district for help.

“I have been kicked, punched, hit, scratched. I’ve had a student physically restraining me in front of my other students… And many of the personal things that I have bought for my classroom have been broken or destroyed,” first-grade teacher Amanda Sheaffer told the Harrisburg School Board at its meeting Monday, according to the news Web site PennLive.

“Many minutes are spent each day dealing with violence that is happening in the classroom,” Sheaffer said. “How am I supposed to have a safe, nurturing learning environment when this behavior happens?”

Sheaffer was one of about a half-dozen elementary-school teachers and several parents who implored the board for help in dealing with increasingly violent and troubled kids.

“We aren’t complaining. We are here begging for help so that we can help those students,” said Harrisburg Education Association President Jody Barksdale.


Barksdale represents some of the teachers asking for help and brought similar concerns to the board in January, according to PennLive.

At least 45 teachers resigned between July and October because of kids terrorizing their classrooms, Barksdale claimed, according to Fox 43.

“Teachers and students are being hit, kicked, slapped, scratched, cussed at…. and observing other students flip over tables, desks and chairs,” she said. “Teachers have had to take the rest of their class into the hallway top protect them during these outbursts. Not much has changed since last January.”

Barksdale asked that a task force be established to address violence in the schools and for a focus on consistency when handling student discipline issues.

Teachers should also be trained in how to handle students with mental-health issues or those battling trauma at home, she said.

Harrisburg schools Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney agreed Monday to the formation of a task force and said the district is working to address the behavioral issues of some pupils.

“Unfortunately, some of these things take time,” Knight-Burney said. “They take time for training; they take time for investigation, and making sure that we are doing the right thing for our students.”

This is really sad, I don't know what's worse, the fact that these students are assaulting and harassing these teachers, or the fact that they are probably picking up this behavior at home and that's how they are being raised.

[Mister Cheese]

How the fuck did this even happen? Do the parents care?

[BuckSparkles]

How the fuck did this even happen? Do the parents care?

If your kids like that, it's likely you don't care.

[Chinese Bootlickers]

How the fuck did this even happen? Do the parents care?

"What? Billy doing that? Oh he wouldn't he's a little angel"
That mentality.

[anveena]

When you look up the demographics of this city it all makes sense.

[BuckSparkles]

When you look up the demographics of this city it all makes sense.

Careful now. Big Red Brother may be watching.

[Mister Cheese]

When you look up the demographics of this city it all makes sense.

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/pa/harrisburg/crime

Took one google search...

[primalmatter]

When you look up the demographics of this city it all makes sense.

I don't disagree but people don't like hearing painful truths...

[Acidbaron]

How the fuck did this even happen? Do the parents care?

Bad sex education, outdated believes from decades ago, increase in teenage pregnancies, single parents, kids that shouldn't be parents. And it gets worse every cycle, so this is the out come of at least a generation or two of people thinking kids will stop having sex if they tell them god wants them to marry first and they should safe themselves.

That and making abortion illegal also plays a part.

Best part this was totally predicted by people, since we used to be dumb enough to believe that sex ed was bad all over the world.

[Theinquisition]

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/pa/harrisburg/crime

Took one google search...

Wow, remind me to never move to Harrisburg. I used to live in Baltimore and I don't think it was as bad as that.

[Underverse]

I don't disagree but people don't like hearing painful truths...

It's not racial, it's cultural. Disambiguate.

[Theinquisition]

Bad sex education, outdated believes from decades ago, increase in teenage pregnancies, single parents, kids that shouldn't be parents. And it gets worse every cycle, so this is the out come of at least a generation or two of people thinking kids will stop having sex if they tell them god wants them to marry first and they should safe themselves.

That and making abortion illegal also plays a part.

Best part this was totally predicted by people, since we used to be dumb enough to believe that sex ed was bad all over the world.

So.....your saying that abstinence education is to blame? Also, abortion isn't illegal anywhere in the U.S.

- - - Updated - - -

It's not racial, it's cultural. Disambiguate.

Agreed. 10char

[primalmatter]

It's not racial, it's cultural. Disambiguate.

Chicken or egg.

I just find it odd how its always the same "cultures" is all

[HumbleDuck]

Isn't the school the one in charge of teaching children discipline? It was like that back in my days.
If this is a recurring incident, I can blame no one other than the impotent teachers.

[Acidbaron]

So.....your saying that abstinence education is to blame? Also, abortion isn't illegal anywhere in the U.S.

No abortion is just being turned into "you are a murderer" stigma, and other fun communities events people do to shame people in using the smart option that's the best for everyone involved. On top of already things done to discourage it all ways possible and making it harder and removing funding and such.

Abstinence is a symptom of the larger problem that's outdated believes and politics. Something i cannot even understand as a conservative why you would want people to believe that nonsense, why you would to keep people dumb? And for what? some fake sense of moral superiority? Well that turned out great now didn't it!

On top of that is of course other political decisions since someone pointed out the demograph there's more than one thing that went very wrong there.

So make the sum of all that and you politics disconnected from reality leading to serious problems inside communities later on. Things don't go bad just because of magic and no skin color if that be the case is also not the reason.

[RaoBurning]

Doesn't surprise me at all. I work at a middle school in Arizona, and we have 4 staff members and a cop (resource officer, I suppose) whose jobs revolve entirely around removing disruptive or violent students from classrooms. All day, every day, every grade. And sometimes the VP and Councilors have to step in because those guys are all busy at once.

[Mister Cheese]

Wow, remind me to never move to Harrisburg. I used to live in Baltimore and I don't think it was as bad as that.

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/md/baltimore/crime

Nope baltimore is still worse.

[Acidbaron]

Isn't the school the one in charge of teaching children discipline? It was like that back in my days.
If this is a recurring incident, I can blame no one other than the impotent teachers.

Which are often underpaid and under appreciated considering the amount of strikes i was reading about not so very long ago, hard to get good people in if you don't value their positions.

I bet it's better to go in the private sector than work for a public school what again points out another sign of political incompetence since that means bad management and funding of said schools. Creating a large gap between private and public, what is also the nice cause when crime rises and jobs disappear in an area.

[Deleted]

Doesn't surprise me at all. I work at a middle school in Arizona, and we have 4 staff members and a cop (resource officer, I suppose) whose jobs revolve entirely around removing disruptive or violent students from classrooms. All day, every day, every grade. And sometimes the VP and Councilors have to step in because those guys are all busy at once.

The idea that your school even needs a cop is horrifying to me, when I was at school the only security measure we had was anti trespassing paint on the 6ft walls.

[SerialPandaSnuggler]

Isn't the school the one in charge of teaching children discipline? It was like that back in my days.
If this is a recurring incident, I can blame no one other than the impotent teachers.

What? Kids this young already coming into the system with violent tenancies. Nobody else to blame but the parents. If you think otherwise you're part of the "not my issue the school will handle it" problem.