feb-march_advisor

ADVOCATING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2019 CEA ADVISOR 7

Classrooms incrisis

Straight Talk with Legislators: We Can’t Teach If We’re Clearing Our Classrooms

Bloomfield teachers recently began a dialogue with their legislators about classroom safety. Representative Bobby Gibson and Senators Doug McCrory and Beth Bye (who has since left to become commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood) attended the teacher- legislator meeting. More than 25 Bloomfield teachers shared concerns over problematic student behavior, giving eloquent and moving descriptions of how some students are significantly interfering with the learning environment in their classrooms and triggering trauma among their peers. Many described physical injuries they have suffered as well as roadblocks to getting the appropriate resources and mental health supports for aggressive students. “The legislators expressed shock over the level of aggression and disruption being described by these teachers and admitted that they were moved by their stories,” says CEA’s Robyn Kaplan-Cho, who organized the get-together. “It’s clear that these in-school meetings with legislators can be an effective way of having members’ voices heard. Our goal is for lawmakers to pass legislation that makes our schools safe.” Escalating problems Laurel Elementary School K-1 special education teacher Melanie Gabel was one of the Bloomfield educators at that meeting. A teacher for the past six years, she says, “In our building, we have had more behavioral/disruptive students this year than in years past,” adding that the solution is typically to remove a child long enough to calm down before returning to the classroom. Unfortunately, she notes, the timeout does not address the core problem, and the behavior resumes once the child returns to the classroom. “The cycle repeats,” Gabel says, underscoring why CEA’s proposal to require supports and resources for children who act out is so badly needed. Bloomfield teachers described children whose aggressive tendencies start and escalate quickly, with teachers needing to clear their classrooms daily—often multiple times—because a student is yelling, kicking, acting out, or throwing

scissors or other objects. “Something as simple as, ‘Join us at the table,’ will begin an outburst,” Gabel explains, adding that she frequently has to miss other groups in order to focus exclusively on one child. A reading group she works with has often had to break up and return to their classrooms when a child becomes physical. “Students have been kicked or hit by an aggressive child as they try to leave my room. I’ve been hit, kicked, and bitten, and it can take two or more staff members to calm a student down until everyone is safe. Calm-down time can be from 20 minutes to over an hour, so many of my groups get missed, and I go without lunch and prep time. This happens on a daily basis, sometimes more than once a day.” Though she says parents have been informed, and administration in her building does what they can, ultimately aggressive children are sent back to their classrooms without interventions or added supports. In other words, nothing changes. Telling their stories “Personally, this year has been very difficult for me,” says Gabel. “When I was preparing for my career, I did not envision this type of reality. I had goals for how I would differentiate instruction and reach all types of students, but the reality of dealing with severe behaviors goes beyond the scope of a special education teacher. I can only do so much as a single person, and as a school team we have to be careful about crossing certain boundaries. We’re not a clinical setting, we’re not a child’s home setting, and we need to be delicate with how we help and what we do.” She adds, “When legislators came and heard our stories, they were definitely shocked at how bad some of the situations are. I hope that by hearing our stories firsthand, they will advocate for our safety and that of our students.” Gabel also said hearing the experiences of her colleagues was eye-opening for her. “While I was listening to stories from other educators in my district, I was shocked at how aggressive and dangerous three- and four-year-olds at the preschool level are. It’s a pervasive problem, and it makes me wonder: How much worse are these children

Bloomfield teachers meet with Representative Bobby Gibson (pictured) as well as Senators Doug McCrory and Beth Bye (now commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood) to share their stories of classrooms in crisis.

going to get as they get older?” Gabel says both CEA and her local union are working hard to advocate on students’ and teachers’ behalf. “They’ve held workshops on the laws governing aggressive students and assaults on teachers so that we know our rights, they’ve brought us together with legislators to tell our stories, and they are getting information to our board.” Call for change The problems that Gabel described are not unique to Bloomfield or to special education teachers. Hundreds of teachers across the state have come forward with stories of their own. Lisa Bress, a teacher in a suburban district for 30 years, provided legislative testimony about her own experience. Bress, a teacher leader who recently retired, said, “My role was to support teachers’ professional development and growth, but my time was quickly consumed by constant calls to assist with several very young children in crisis. These children acted out verbally and physically on a daily basis in different classrooms— kicking, hitting, taking things from other students, smacking adults across the face, screaming, throwing furniture, and running out of the building. I often spent hours each

day, in a separate location, with one particular child who would disrupt the learning in his classroom by assaulting others. I want to be clear that this child was not identified as a special-needs student.” She adds, “Unfortunately, my principal was often absent or out of the building, so support was lacking. I was left responsible for school operations, since I had administrative certification, and I was handling the crisis behaviors simultaneously. We were fortunate to have an excellent school psychologist and social worker at our school, but they had a full load of students scheduled for services through their IEPs. Those children often missed out because their service providers were assisting with crisis interventions.” Both retired and active teachers are calling for change, and for that to happen, the dialogue needs to continue. Tell your story (you may do so anonymously) at cea.org/politics/ priorities/2019/teacher-safety . To arrange for a teacher-legislator get- together about safe classrooms or other key issues in your school, contact your local association president and CEA’s Chris Donovan ( chrisd@cea.org ) or Robyn Kaplan- Cho ( robynk@cea.org ).

No More Sick Schools “Students learn best when their schools are healthy,” says Manchester High School math teacher Kate Dias, noting that mold, air and water quality, and extreme temperatures are persistent issues in schools throughout the state. “If you can’t breathe, how can you learn? It is our job as teachers to insist that schools be places where students can come every day and grow, not grow sicker.” Dias, who is president of the Manchester Education Association and part of a CEA working group to ensure a healthy classroom environment for all students and teachers, adds, “Parents, teachers, and community members need to insist that our legislators support the infrastructure of our schools. We can’t just continue to give lip service to this problem; we need money and action to make our public schools 21st century learning environments. I am excited about our coalition of teacher leaders working on a coordinated effort to motivate and engage other educators in this conversation. Teachers are in the classrooms with students every day, breathing the same air, feeling the excess heat or cold—we know firsthand how these conditions impact learning, and we will take our message to the people who can invoke change.” In recent months, CEA and the Stamford Education Association successfully fought to protect hundreds of teachers and thousands of students exposed to dangerous mold in schools, pushing for school closures where buildings were unsafe and filing workers’ compensation claims for teachers who suffered mold- related illnesses. As school buildings continue to age, CEA is doubling down on efforts to keep students and teachers safe by demanding public school compliance with national air quality standards and adoption of the National School Climate Standards.

Is your school sick? Share your pictures and stories with us at cea.org/politics/priorities/2019/teacher-safety/sick-schools .

Enfield Rep. Tom Arnone met Enfield Teachers’ Association Vice President Bill Delaney and President Emily Hulevitch. They discussed CEA 2019 legislative priorities and made plans to work together in the months ahead.