Pennsylvania Department of Education data shows rise in violence against teachers | Action News Investigation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Violence is increasingly becoming an occupational hazard for teachers.

Since the pandemic, data shows that attacks on teachers have increased.

The Action News investigative team combed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s LEA/school discipline reports and found that the number of simple assaults on teachers in the five-county Pennsylvania region has nearly tripled in the last five years.

The threat of violence puts teachers under stress and anxiety, and many – including Brandon Powell – are considering leaving school or even the profession.

“The student goes out of his way and hits me in the face. That shocked me,” said Powell, who worked as a substitute teacher at Edgmont Scholars Academy in Chester.

In April, he says, he was attacked by a seventh-grader after an argument in the back of the classroom.

“Given what happened, my first thought was, OK, when he hit me, I had to stop him from hitting someone else, me, and hurting himself,” he said. “So I grabbed his arms and brought him to the ground … and then I turned around and called for help.”

The Chester Upland School District had one simple assault and seven aggravated assaults during the 2022-2023 school year, the fourth-highest number in the five-county region, according to the data.

The Philadelphia School District had the highest number of simple assault cases in the 2022-23 school year, with 1,370 cases. It is the largest district in the state.

A breakdown by school shows that three Philadelphia middle schools had the most: Castor Gardens with 53, Northeast Community Propel (K-8 grades) had 50, and Warren G Harding with 36.

These schools are also among the largest in the region.

In terms of school size, another elementary school with grades 1 to 8 tops the list: McDaniel Delaplaine School. There were 22 assaults there, or about one for every 10 students.

“It’s hard, it’s stressful. And a lot of people want to quit or change,” says Susan Devorak McMahon, chair of the American Psychological Association’s task force on violence against educators and school staff. In 2022, 12,000 teachers were surveyed.

According to Devorak McMahon, 80% have reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or threatening behavior since the pandemic.

“Not only teachers, but school psychologists, social workers, staff, administrators… everyone is experiencing this. But for teachers, it’s even worse,” she added.

The reason for the increase is difficult to determine, but Professor Devorak McMahon says COVID-19 has certainly played a role.

She said solutions are still harder to find, but improving school climate, better de-escalation training, working with diverse groups and better behavior management would help.

Powell believes students must be held accountable.

“If there are no consequences, they may continue their aggressive behavior,” she added.

Powell said he has been unemployed since the incident without receiving an explanation.

The Chester Upland School District released a statement saying:

“When allegations of assault are brought to the attention of the Chester Upland School District’s central administration, we take them very seriously and investigate the incident according to appropriate protocols. We follow Pennsylvania school code in handling this matter. However, due to the sensitive nature of personnel matters, we are unable to provide any further comment at this time.”

“Violence against teachers has to stop. You know what I mean?” Powell added.

The Philadelphia School District released the following statement:

“The School District of Philadelphia is committed to providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for our staff and students every day. Violence is never an acceptable means of resolving conflict and our staff, including teachers, reinforce appropriate conflict resolution skills.”

The district spokesperson also said, “Employees included in the statistics may include teachers, school safety officers, climate managers, counselors, principals and other personnel who may not necessarily be attacked but could intervene to resolve a conflict or de-escalate an altercation.”