Data shows uptick in violence against Pennsylvania teachers in classroom | Investigation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Violence is an increasing occupational hazard for teachers.

Since the pandemic, data shows assaults on teachers have surged.

The Action News Investigative Team combed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education's LEA/School Discipline Reports and found simple assaults on teachers in the five-county region of Pennsylvania have nearly tripled over the last five years.

The threat of violence has teachers stressed, anxious and many contemplating leaving their school or even the profession, including Brandon Powell.

"The student goes out of his way and slaps me, bam, across the face. It shocked me," said Powell, who was a substitute teacher at Edgmont Scholars Academy in Chester.

In April, he says a 7th-grade student assaulted him after a disturbance in the back of his class.

"Given what went on, my first thing was, OK, when he hit me, I should stop him from hitting someone else, me and harming himself," he said. "So, I grabbed his arms, and I brought him down... and then I turned, and I call for help."

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

The School District of Philadelphia ranked highest in simple assaults during the 2022-23 school year, with 1370. It is the largest district in the commonwealth.

A breakdown by school shows three Philadelphia middle schools had the most: Castor Gardens with 53, Northeast Community Propel, which is K to 8th grade, had 50 and Warren G Harding with 36.

These schools are also among the largest in the area.

When you consider school size, another K-8 school also tops the list: McDaniel Delaplaine School. They had 22 assaults, which is about 1 for every 10 students.

"It's tough, it's stressful. And people, a lot of people are wanting to quit or transfer," said Susan Devorak McMahon, who is the chair of the American Psychological Association's Taskforce on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel. It surveyed 12,000 teachers in 2022.

Devorak McMahon says 80% reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or threatening behavior since the pandemic.

"So not just teachers, but also school psychologists, social workers, staff, administrators...everybody is experiencing it. But it's worse for the teachers," she added.

The reason for the uptick is hard to pin down, but Professor Devorak McMahon says COVID-19 certainly played a role.

She said solutions are even more elusive but improving school climate, providing better training in de-escalation, and working with diverse groups and behavioral management will help.

Powell thinks students need to be held accountable.

"When there's no consequences, they are enabled to continue to, you know, aggressive behaviors," she added.

Since the incident, Powell said he's been out of work and received no explanation as to why.

The Chester Upland School District released a statement saying:

"Anytime allegations of assault are brought to Chester Upland School District's Central administration, we take them very seriously, and investigate the incident according to the appropriate protocols. We are following the Pennsylvania school code in addressing this matter. However, due to the sensitive nature of personnel issues, we cannot provide any further comment at this time."

"The violence against teachers needs to stop. You know what I mean?" added Powell.

The School District of Philadelphia released the following statement:

"The School District of Philadelphia strives to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for our staff and students daily. Violence is never an acceptable means to conflict resolution and our staff, including teachers, are reinforcing appropriate conflict resolution skills."

The district spokesperson also said, "The Staff included in the statistics may include teachers, Office of School Safety Officers, Climate Managers, counselors, principals and other personnel who may not necessarily be attacked but may be stepping in to resolve a conflict or de-escalate an altercation."