CEA members spoke during public input at the Nov. 2 School Committee meeting to discuss concerns about staff safety and student behavior.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — Chicopee’s City Hall auditorium was standing room only as educators and staff joined the Nov. 2 School Committee to express growing frustration and concern about the district’s lack of urgency in addressing serious safety issues.
Fairview Elementary School was under the most scrutiny, as staff said they are being injured routinely, and students are witnessing these events.
Many speakers also said that the current protocols are not working, and little is being done to punish bad behavior.
CEA Co-President Jess Bean told Reminder Publishing after the meeting that members spoke during public input to let the public know what is going on within the district and schools.
“The staff at Farview are getting more and more scared to come to work and fearful that they’re going to get hurt,” Bean stated. “There is a staff member who is out because of a surgery that was actually caused by a student incident in the spring, and the surgery wasn’t until this fall. You got people that are literally put out of work because of the hazards that they’re taking at the job, and they aren’t stopping; they aren’t slowing down.”
Bean said that since school started in September, there have been three staff members who have been concussed by students, including one to a pregnant staff member. As of Nov. 2, she said Fairview Elementary School has 17 vacant positions, which she said is significant for November.
When looking at potential areas to address, Bean called it an unfortunate mix of circumstances. She explained that Fairview Elementary School has a significant, disproportionate number of self-contained special education classrooms compared to other elementary schools in the district.
“Historically, all over the country, not just here, staffing those rooms can be challenging and turnover is high, so when you have a high quantity of a type of classroom that is regularly revolving doors for staff, it’s kind of an open opportunity for some things to go wrong,” she stated. “I don’t want to imply that they are not meeting the legal requirements of kids’ IEPs, but staff gets burnt out, and then they take a sick day for their mental health, and those vacancies don’t always get covered.”
She said the CEA has talked to the administration about looking at the Special Education Department across the district to see whether restructuring could make things more equitable and ensure staffing ratios are met across the board. Bean also said they have had conversations with the administration when incidents occurred, and leadership has focused on the building, but nothing is happening fast enough to prevent those injuries, she said.
Michelle Reardon, a fifth grade teacher at Fairview Elementary School who has been teaching for 28 plus years, stated that she has never seen this level of behavior.
“Anyone who has worked in education, whether new to the profession or a veteran teacher, understands that students change from year to year. Their needs change, their behaviors change and their challenges we face as educators change with them,” she stated. “What we are experiencing recently goes beyond the typical changes of an evolving student population. We are seeing behaviors that are increasingly dangerous to students and staff and the entire school community.”
Reardon highlighted situations of students throwing chairs and desks, throwing themselves onto the floor, screaming uncontrollably, making death threats towards other students, brandishing weapons, choking adults, kicking and physically assaulting staff.
She said one student’s behavior can completely disrupt the learning environment and take an entire day of instruction, safety, and stability from the other students in the classroom.
“What is equally concerning is the apparent lack of meaningful intervention or accountability following these incidents,” Reardon said. “Too often the response consists of quietly speaking to the student, attempting to reason with them or allowing the situation to pass without any substantial follow-through. We need to recognize that what we are currently doing is not working.”
Heather Santaniello, a mother to triplets at Fairview, said she was angry, frustrated and frightened about what she heard was happening in the school. She said parents are hearing allegations that the incidents are not being handled with the urgency, transparency and seriousness they deserve.
“We cannot afford to become complacent when it comes to weapons, threats and physical violence in our schools,” Santaniello said. “I refuse to accept this is simply the reality of education today.”
Nicole Roth, a preschool paraprofessional at Fairview Elementary School, said the environment these issues have created has made it hard for Chicopee to retain its talented educators.
“When a staff member is injured, it is not just an isolated workplace accident, it is a systemic failure,” Roth stated. “It impacts the morale of the entire building. It creates an environment of anxiety instead of learning, and it forces excellent and dedicated educators to question whether they can afford to stay in this profession.”
Gina Potorski-Dahl, an English teacher at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, read a letter from Erik Dahl, who has worked in special education in various capacities since 1998 and currently serves as the 18-22 transitional teacher for the Crossroads program, which serves young adults with disabilities.
He wrote that throughout all his professional and personal endeavors, he has never been physically assaulted until the morning of Oct. 26 at 8:10 a.m. While at work, Dahl said he was threatened, struck in the head with a closed fist, and sustained a concussion, which has forced him to miss work due to his recovery.
Reminder Publishing reached out to the superintendent’s office for comment but heard no response by press time.
