Teachers union accuses SPS of addressing student discipline with 'unsafe practices'

The leader of Springfield's largest teachers union leveled a series of troubling allegations related to student discipline issues at the Tuesday school board meeting — including that a student who threatened to shoot other students just before Thanksgiving faced no consequences.

Laura Mullins, president of the Springfield National Education Association, gave examples of student incidents that she said went unaddressed in the weeks before the holiday. Others included:

• Bullying with repeated threats of physical harm despite a history of violent assaults;

• Flipping chairs, writing on walls, upending offices and classrooms;

• Getting in teachers' faces and yelling at them;

• Telling a teacher to sit on their genitals.

In the public comments, Mullins said she was speaking on behalf of 3,000 teachers and staff represented by the union who are "broken, discouraged and frustrated by ineffective and unsafe practices put in place by SPS administration."

She alleged the district does not follow its code of conduct — a list of infractions and the corresponding discipline options — and is "making our numbers look good" by under-reporting incidents.

"Because this district started requiring staff to essentially ignore infractions they deem as minor, we now have previously referable offenses occurring without any discipline," Mullins said.

She added that when a "student's behavior rises to the point where a referral is finally allowed, in many cases they are not getting processed or staff is told not to write them at all," especially if the student has special needs.

Following the meeting, the remarks were posted on the Springfield NEA's Facebook page and have been shared more than 500 times.

District seeks 'specific details' about incidents

In a lengthy statement Thursday, SPS said much of what Springfield NEA said was "misleading to advance narratives that are either untrue or lacking in context."

"The suggestion that SPS is not following our code of conduct or is somehow suppressing the ability of staff to hold students accountable for unacceptable behavior is untrue," said Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, in the statement.

"In fact, discipline referrals through the end of the first quarter are higher than at the same point during the previous year. This demonstrates that student misbehavior is not only resulting in referrals from teachers, but that there is an appropriate and consistent application of discipline by administrators."

The district said it was "troubled" by what it described as an "increasingly adversarial approach demonstrated by SNEA's leadership on this issue and others" which it described as "unhelpful."

"It is SNEA’s professional responsibility to provide specific details about any circumstance that may violate district policy or state law so that it may be addressed appropriately," Hall wrote. "SPS will be following up with SNEA to formally request that specific information, as we are not aware of the details included in the most recent statement."

In the response, Hall wrote that "statements that incorrectly represent the record" or "falsely assign blame" are counter-productive to the shared goal of improving student behavior.

Board president Danielle Kincaid said safety and student discipline are top priorities for the district and its governing board.

"This is reflected in our strategic plan, in ongoing presentations with timely data, and in conversations around the board table," she said.

More: SPS teachers say in survey that student behavior issues affect learning, staff turnover

Superintendent Grenita Lathan outlined a multi-pronged approach to improving student behavior during a board retreat this spring.

She recently provided a detailed update with first quarter results and next steps in a board meeting. The district has added staffing and expanded training and programs to address the issue this year.

"We thank Team SPS for all they do to meet students needs every day," Kincaid said. "We acknowledge the incredible challenges faced by educators, including an increase in behavior issues. We are dedicated to addressing these challenges."

'Collaboration is needed now'

In the response, Hall acknowledged discipline challenges remain and the district is listening and working to address them. "Collaboration is needed now more than ever," he wrote.

In the statement, SPS said the examples cited by Mullins were not shared with district leaders in a timely manner or at any point prior to her public comments.

"The information contained within the social media post in question was not shared with a principal or executive director by SNEA, nor were specifics provided that would allow SPS to investigate and respond accordingly," wrote Hall, noting district officials meet regularly with Springfield NEA.

"Prior to making reckless allegations and broad generalizations, speaking publicly or posting to social media, it is SNEA’s responsibility to engage through the appropriate channels to verify accuracy."

Springfield NEA has been invited to meet monthly with either Bret Range, chief human resources director, or Nicole Holt, deputy superintendent of academics, and sometimes both.

Mullins said she recently emailed Holt to ask what steps teachers and staff can take if they disagree with the discipline level given for an infraction, if they made a discipline referral that was not processed or were told not to make one.

"She still has not responded and that has been a month ago," she said.

Kincaid urged the Springfield NEA to follow the administrative process for addressing issues, including student behavior and discipline.

"That process includes providing specifics about concerning events to the administration — including the building name, date and individuals involved," she said. "Especially when safety is a concern, this provides SPS the opportunity to respond without delay."

In a follow-up interview, Mullins said she goes to the school board when she does not get answers from school district staff.

She said in addition to the public comments at meetings, she reached out to each board member this fall except for Shurita Thomas-Tate — who she felt did not listen to her about a different issue — to meet with her individually or in small groups.

"They've all met with me, the ones I've asked to meet," she said. "They have met with me more than once."

Board member Kelly Byrne shared the Springfield NEA post on Facebook. "We must have high expectations of our students and consistent consequences. I appreciate this criticism."

Byrne said it will take collaboration to find a solution.

"This is a nationwide issue but I believe we can lead the way in turning it around," Byrne said.

"It’s not easy, but I also believe it’s not terribly complicated. It will take hard work from all involved. Parents, teachers, admins, supports, students, and the school board. High expectations, accountability, and hard work, for all of us, not just teachers."

More: Student discipline is a problem in SPS. What MO's largest district is doing to fix it

In the meeting, Mullins described scenarios where students have evacuated the classroom for their own safety and noted the district has ordered "protective vests and arm shields" for certain staff.

"In your strategic plan, you have committed to providing classroom environments conducive to teaching and learning," Mullins told the board Nov. 28. "That is not occurring. Instead, you are creating new victims of trauma in children and adults alike."

She added: "SPS needs to return to following the code of conduct, even for minor infractions. Consistent, progressive discipline is not the bad guy. It is the solution."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Teacher accuses SPS of not doing enough to address student discipline