Let's talk for a moment about education
and behavior problems in Portland schools
numbers we found today seem to show a
dramatic drop in the number of reported
problems in the Portland School district,
down by roughly 1000 from 2600 incidents
in the 2019-2020 school year to
just 1600 in the most recent years.
Now it seems like a tremendous improvement,
but maybe it's not.
Our Christine Citywatch talked
with teachers on the front lines.
And found it might not be that
at all that it might be.
Many have given up an actually
filing reports of problems.
Sure, my name is Colin Hawkins.
I teach science at Rosewood
Heights Middle School and
Colin Hawkins and his colleagues
at Rosewood Heights Middle School
have seen a lot this year after
starting things off with a brawl
and walkout student behavior and
outbursts are issues educators
deal with on a near daily basis.
The behaviors we're seeing
are violent to a level that
I haven't seen in years.
Fast in Portland, at least.
Teachers have been hurt.
Kids have been hurt.
I've seen kids savagely beat
in the hallway.
Kids will go and sell
things at a park nearby.
And Hawkins says recently he
started seeing a growing sense
of vigilanteism among students.
Students are trying to police behaviors
on their own, which is not good.
We had some students who pushed into
a classroom because they were trying
to defend a friend of theirs who had
had some other students bullying her.
Outbursts and violence in the
classroom had already been
trending up before the pandemic.
These photos from KGW's classroom in crisis
series in the 2018-2019 school year.
But as many educators have said,
the pandemic made things worse.
Special educators are
feeling the brunt of it too.
Nathan and I have both been
injured by students this year.
I mean quite a few times,
but each of us wants in a way that
required medical attention and
that's becoming more and more common.
Mary Darren is a speech language
pathologist and Nathan Earle is a
licensed clinical social worker.
Both work with special education students,
so we're seeing hitting,
kicking, spitting a lot more
this year than ever before.
Near daily I would say but it's
staff member comes away with some
kind of physical manifestation of.
Their day at work.
Throughout the year,
educators have said a lot of the violence
is happening at the middle school level.
We asked the district for some numbers,
and as of February 28th it appears
the incidence of fights and physical
aggression across the district were lower
than the same period for previous years.
But the teachers union says
numbers don't tell the whole story.
Documenting can be time-consuming and futile,
but I know that is something we
frequently hear from educators.
How many times?
By document the same thing
and get no response.
Before I I stop using my time.
That way it's exhausting to
use our planning time that we
have so little of to document
behaviors and and student incidents
that don't get followed up on.
Educators say it could be a backlog
in processing documentation or two
different reporting systems may also
be to blame for the discrepancy.
But one thing is clear.
They all say students are
experiencing more need than ever
over 225 suicide screenings. The quarter one.
Compared to 91 in quarter one of 2019
administrators at the district level
say they know the need is high.
Some more data is showing that
there are less referrals this year,
but our students are demonstrating
more over behaviors such as
running out of the classroom and
elementary fighting or substance
abuse issues in our secondary.
Brenda Martinek is the chief
of student support services
for Portland Public Schools.
We do have additional staff that are
out there working in our classrooms,
helping specific teachers,
helping to identify and then support
the behaviors. With some plans.
And she says the nationwide staff shortage
doesn't help efforts to fill positions
in special Ed classrooms and elsewhere,
but money from the state allowed the
district to put more counselors,
social workers, and other mental
health providers in schools.
Martonick says a new commitment to a policy.
Around discipline is also more
supportive and less punitive in nature,
although we do actually.
In restorative justice,
we do have circles and we talk
about the harm that's been caused
and each person gets a chance to
open up and really talk about that.
But teachers, like Hawkins aren't convinced
the discipline system is working,
but with all the community is,
we're doing things like restorative justice.
We're doing things like having a study hall
room where they're working with your kids.
He says the room meant for
students to talk about and work
through issues isn't staffed.
What Hawkins and other educators
say it comes down to is more
adults or fewer kids per classroom.
To make sure kids needs are met.
When you have 30 kids in a classroom,
all with highly disparate need levels.
The decisions become more of triage and
less of like a positive educational plan.
Martonick says the district is trying to help
and what I want them to know is
that we we see them, we hear them.
We are trying our hardest to try
and provide those supports to them.
I don't want to give excuses
about the staff shortage,
but it is real and I I applaud
them for their work.
It it's just a really,
really tough time right now.
In early May the teachers Union said
data from the district indicated
26 fewer licensed special education
staff in classrooms next year.
If the proposed budget is approved,
a Portland Public Schools spokesperson
says that number is now down to five
fewer full-time special education staff.
The school board is scheduled
to vote on approving the budget
tomorrow night with a second and
final approval vote in June.
I'm told between now and then the budget.
Could continue to change.
Christine pinewatch.
KGW news.