Students' behavior across Visalia Unified schools pushes teachers out, raises concerns

Physical assault. Hate speech. Racism. Death threats.

These are just some of the experiences Visalia Unified teachers say they are exposed to every single day.

Hundreds flocked to the Visalia Unified School District Offices on Tuesday night to discuss their concerns surrounding student behavior as well as student and teacher safety with trustees and school administrators.

The group wasn’t there to “attack anybody or point fingers," Visalia Unified Teachers Association President Greg Price said.

“We are here because this problem has not been solved,” Price said, “and the consequences for not solving discipline and safety is the learning loss that is suffered by our students.”

The meeting comes just days before schools across the district will begin state testing, with results expected in late summer.

Only a handful of teachers spoke directly to board members Tuesday night, though the room was filled to the brim with people, many wearing black Visalia Unified Teachers Association t-shirts.

Each shared what they described as their day-to-day experiences with students this year, some through tears.

“We see students who throw tantrums, students who take things off walls…,” said Tina Smith, a teacher at Pinkham Elementary School. “What you might not understand is that when an elementary student throws a tantrum, learning is not only disruptive but often halts altogether.”

Whenever a student has an outbreak in a classroom and becomes violent, whether physical or verbal, teachers are often forced to evacuate the room to keep other students and themselves safe, Smith said.

Other teachers described how students will get up and walk out without permission. These actions end up disrupting the class and ultimately lead to learning loss.

“These students are also losing the opportunity to learn,” said Michele Alvarez, a middle school English teacher. “They're missing the core instruction and when they don't receive instruction for their classes, they end up falling behind and then failing these classes.”

Another issue teachers deal with daily is harsh, discriminatory, or racist language. Cursing isn’t new to high school and middle school campuses, but students are using cruel language more often — while insulting teachers and during conversations with each other.

Madelyn Schneemann, an algebra teacher at Green Acres Middle School, said while she was getting ready to go on maternity leave this year, a student told her “F**k you, I hope your baby dies” because she did not allow him to listen or watch to YouTube.

The concerns teachers discussed are causing further issues for Visalia Unified as some newer teachers decide to step away from the profession while the nation struggles with a growing teacher shortage.

“How can I, how can our teachers come to class every day feeling like my life, and my wellbeing is in constant danger?” Ashley Thomas, a third-grade teacher asked. “I will not continue to subject myself and my students to such trauma. And for that reason, I will not be returning to VUSD after one year of working in a profession that I love so much.”

Superintendent Kirk Shrum, who was hired by the district before the 2022/2023 school year, acknowledged teachers before listening to their concerns on Tuesday.

“I know I'm new to Visalia, and a lot of people don't know me,” Shrum said. “But you've probably seen a theme of reports tonight, that we're also very transparent — you're always going to know from me what we're doing, but you're also going to know from me what we need to improve on.

We're on the journey of accountability... I can't go back and change how things may have been in the past, or what might have been said and done or not done. But what I can tell you is what we're going to do, who I am and how we're going to move forward. So I'm looking forward. I appreciate VUTA and our teachers and our staff being here tonight.”

Ultimately, teachers and Shrum said they need parents to step up to the plate and they want students who exhibit negative behaviors to have consequences while also receiving support through counseling. Shrum said the goal is to have a counselor at each site.

“We need to remember that 98% of our students are generally on task. The 2% continue to make teaching the 98% challenging, and sometimes impossible,” Smith said. “Every week at my site, I have students who plead with me to get the disruptions to stop. It's heartbreaking for me to see these students who want to learn and they cannot.”

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Students' behavior across Visalia Unified schools pushes teachers out, raises concerns