Dealing With Student Abuse

This is will Thompson a 20-year language arts teacher On October 23rd 1989 after several interruptions of his third period writing class by Jimmy Martin will order Jimmy to leave the classroom It's hard it's part of a series of things like Jimmy Could you guys back off a little bit just turn around and take a few notes and everything's fine It's part of a series of things that came out that had this theme to it It's come it comes from a Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Herman woke we're gonna start our discussion from where the captain comes on board with the tow line incident and the problem that they have With the shirttail and what we want to look at is what this show is about the captain Jimmy that's it. This is the third time I've had to say something new about this now. That's enough. Let's go to the principal's office Now Hello and welcome to a program by the Iowa State Education Association, which we hope will help to make your job a little bit easier My name is Jim Smith, and I am the associate executive director for advocacy services Experience tells us that teachers generally tend to be warm tender people Who are in the classroom because they like contact with their students and because they feel they can contribute to their students growth and development these admirable qualities, however Can sometimes lead to the unpleasant side of teaching the side that results in an allegation of physical abuse? by students and/or their parents For the next few moments, we will be looking at ways to help. You know, what your rights are how to handle a given situation How to avoid having abuse charges leveled against you and what to do If a charge is made we will explain what is physical abuse What can occur in a school setting that could be considered physical abuse? What steps can be taken to avoid such situations and what is likely to happen if an allegation is lodged against you You must always bear in mind that there are no easy answers No, quick fixes, no hard and fast rules and no such thing as a get out of jail free card There are a number of steps that you can take to avoid allegations of physical abuse First be familiar with your job description. This description will tell you what is expected of you Become familiar with your master contract. It may provide a great deal of protection for you Also nearly every school district has a district-wide policy manual Those policies govern a great deal of your conduct If you have them, you should also become familiar with the contents of both your faculty and student handbooks You should become familiar with your students and to the extent possible Their parents if a complaint is to be lodged against you it would most likely come from one of them Find out as much as you can about them Also do not be afraid to share information about yourself with them If you have a particular teaching style, you should feel free to share that with your students Let them know how it is that you will conduct your classes and what is expected of them You should become familiar with the expectations that the administration and the local school board have for all of their employees Perhaps most important of all get to know your local Education Association officers and Representatives The Association is after all your first line of defense Don't ever hesitate to ask for help at the first sign of any trouble Here are some general guidelines for teacher-student contact It has never been improper for a teacher to have physical contact with students Contact that is reasonable and made for the right reasons is not only allowed but oftentimes very advisable physical contact with a student Becomes physical abuse if a non-accidental physical injury to a student results from the actions of a school employee Injury occurs when the evidence of contact is still apparent at least 24 hours after the incident Physical abuse may occur as the result of the intentional infliction of injury or the use of excessive unnecessary or unreasonable force The analysis of a given situation then necessarily involves the following questions Were the parties involved a student and a teacher? Was there physical contact between the two of them? Was the physical contact non accidental? Did this non accidental physical contact result in a physical injury to the student And was the force used unreasonable In determining the reasonableness of the force used these factors must be considered The nature of the conduct of the student that precipitated the physical contact by the school employee the size and physical condition of the student the instrumentality if any used in making the physical contact the extent of injury to the student resulting from the contact and the motivation of the school employee in initiating the physical contact Let's now discuss Examples of typical classroom situations that may give rise to a charge of physical abuse As all of you know, there are different ways to react to disruptions that occur at school Let's watch as one Iowa teacher demonstrates three such responses Ask yourself. These questions is There a right way and a wrong way to respond When force is used by the teacher, is it reasonable? Why or why not? which of these examples is likely to result in a filing of a physical abuse complaint why or why not and If filed will the allegations prove to be valid? After reviewing each of these situations you be the judge You decide whether the situation gives rise to a legitimate allegation of physical abuse Start our discussion from where the captain comes on board with the tow line incident and the problem that they have With the shirttail and what we want to look at is what this show is about the captain Jimmy that's in this is the third time. I've had to say something to you about this That's enough we're through with it. Let's go down to the principal's office Okay, I guess we've got that dealt with Okay, we're going through the sequence of events Most generally this type of action by a teacher Would be considered acceptable and would not result in an allegation of physical abuse being successfully lodged against one of our members Discussion from where the captain comes on board with the towline incident and the problem that they have With the shirttail and what we want to look at is what this show is about the captain Jimmy that's it. This is the third time I've had to say something to you about this. That's enough disruptions Let's go to the principal's office Okay, I guess we've got that dealt with Okay, we're going through the sequence of events where Captain queeg is on board the cane now This behavior on the part of a teacher presents a much closer question a Physical abuse allegation may very well be filed and the teacher placed in a position of having to justify his or her actions Here we're gonna start our discussion from where the captain comes on board with the towline incident and the problem that they have With the shirttail and what we want to look at is what this show is about the captain Jimmy that's it. That's the third time. I've had to say something to you about this. I wanted it knocked off now That's enough you're going to the principal's office. Let's go We're going to the principal's office, come on, let's go Okay, I guess we've got that dealt with Okay, we're going through the sequence of events Where Captain queeg is on board the cane now and he's doing some things that the men are thinking or questionable And following the towline in the shirttail What I Told you to get to the principal's office now, I'll be down as soon as the periods over with and wait they're The chances that an allegation of physical abuse will follow are greatly enhanced when a teacher responds to a disruptive student in this manner If any of these situations occur in your classroom, you should take immediate steps to defend yourself Write down everything you can remember in sequence about what happened and why? Include background on any earlier problems that you may have had with the student any prior warnings given and any prior responses from the student Describe in detail what the student was doing and saying at the time of the confrontation? Were there other students involved? Who were they and where were they located in relationship to the incident? What could they see and what could they hear? The names of any possible witnesses should always be included in your written description Are these witnesses likely to remember things happening the same way that you remember? If not, why not? Also, you should always make your immediate supervisor or administrator Aware of the incident as soon as possible be sure to alert your local Education Association representative the local president and your youness ERV director a Decision can then be made concerning the necessity and advisability of any further assistance the ramifications of a allegation of physical abuse needs some further discussion first there may be some employment sanctions involved a founded allegation of physical abuse may result in an administrator issuing the teacher Anything from an oral reprimand to a termination notice? This action could be followed by the filing of a criminal complaint and/or a civil lawsuit The State Board of educational examiner's may also be asked to review the teachers conduct This agency has the authority to suspend or revoke a teaching certificate These actions have ramifications not only on your current employment But on your future employability in the field of education as well It's important to remember that all allegations of physical abuse whether frivolous or not Must be considered serious if an allegation arises you do have a right to representation Be sure to ask for help and advice whenever non-friendly physical contact with a student occurs for further information on this important subject We've prepared a resource packet called dealing with student abuse Copies are available from your local Education Association or directly from the ISEA office of advocacy services Thanks for watching and may all of your students be a pleasure to teach There's a life out there, I want so much a bride tomorrow happen almost touch but I need