Teachers in Washington, D.C., are concerned about the increasing violence of their students. According to a survey conducted by the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) between May 25 and June 24, 2023, 30% of teachers said they had been assaulted by their students during the past academic year. Of this percentage, 42% stated that their students had slapped, punched or even kicked them.
The results of the survey of more than 100 teachers and public school staff show that there is a significant increase in violence in these schools. Fifty-five percent of the staff surveyed said they witnessed students assaulting a classmate, while 42% said violence increased significantly during the past school year.
This spike in violence led, says the union, to 45% of respondents considering leaving their jobs. Twenty-nine percent said they had asked for a leave of absence or even reduced their working hours to avoid this type of behavior.
The schools' response was also of deep concern to teachers. According to WTU, 82% of respondents said they had not received adequate training to deal with this type of behavior, while 71% said that public schools did not have the necessary number of counselors or support staff for students.
Teachers call for measures to prevent violence
In the face of the increase of student violence, the union called on the D.C. school system to take measures to address this problem. It called for the creation of a special committee as well as means to advise students, families and staff in order to avoid this type of behavior.
In addition, they also requested resources for teachers that allow them to combat the psychological problems that arise from bullying. They also asked that other recommendations be implemented before classes begin on Aug. 28.
According to the union, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has not yet responded to its request. DCPS assured NBC News 4 that they were reviewing the concerns raised by the WTU:
At DC Public Schools, the safety and well-being of our entire community is paramount. We are carefully reviewing the concerns raised by the Washington Teachers’ Union as we plan for comprehensive safety improvements in School Year 2023-2024 that include additional training for school-based staff around incident response, updates to the district’s visitor policies, and conflict resolution support for students. As the first day of school approaches, we are working diligently with our partners throughout District government to ensure that educators and students can experience joyful learning in safe environments across the city.
