A recent review indicates that assaults on teachers by students while on the job are on the rise in Allegheny County, which includes the Pittsburgh schools. Though the student population is declining within the county, there were 179 assaults on teachers last year, according to the Allegheny County Juvenile Probation Department. This is the highest in history for the county, with a total of 621 cases from 2002 through 2006.
The Pittsburgh schools have three open teacher claims for worker's compensation, related to assaults by students. One claim is from a 1997 injury, where a student threw an object and struck a teacher in the neck. Another claim from 2005 resulted from a Pittsburgh schools' teacher-student confrontation on a staircase. The Pittsburgh schools' teacher incurred back and shoulder injuries by grabbing the staircase rail to prevent falling down the stairs. The third claim occurred in 2006, when a teacher tried to break up a student fight and incurred a neck injury.
The review showed that most assaults are shoving, elbowing hard enough to throw the teacher off balance, punching and hitting, slapping in the face, spitting, and biting hard enough to require a tetanus shot and Hepatitis B and C testing. Though these may seem like minor injuries, some have led to substantial medical bills and lost wages. According to Jim Rieland, director of Allegheny County juvenile probation, most assaults occur in the classrooms, cafeterias and hallways. Objects, such as loaded book bags, are more of the problem than guns or knives in these incidents.
In the Pittsburgh schools, most teachers are members of the Pittsburgh Federator of Teachers (the Pittsburgh schools' teachers' union). If union members are assaulted on the job, they are entitled to 20 extra days of sick leave for that year to take care of student-assault-related injuries. Pittsburgh schools' teachers must, however, meet stringent rules from the Pittsburgh schools district. To qualify for the extra sick leave, Pittsburgh schools' teachers must:
Be members of the union,
Use their own sick days for the first three days,
File a police report against the student,
Have a doctor's excuse for time off work, and
Get the Pittsburgh schools' administrator's agreement that an assault occurred.
According to John Tarka, union president, the union and the Pittsburgh schools have reached a tentative agreement to create a new alternative school, using the current Clayton School. It would be privately run, taking 432 of the "most persistently disruptive students" from grades six through 12. This would remove these troubled Pittsburgh schools' students from the mainstream schools, allowing Pittsburgh schools' teachers to be confident of a safe work environment.
Jason Thomas is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Pittsburgh Schools
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Pittsburgh Schools Use the Summer to Prepare for the Future
- Students and Teachers in Pittsburgh Schools Receive Year End Honors and Awards
- Pittsburgh Schools Deal With Discipline
- Assaults on Teachers on Rise in Allegheny County … Pittsburgh Schools Still Fairing Well With Plans to Do Even Better
- Assaults On Teachers On Rise In Allegheny County ... Pittsburgh Schools Still Fairing Well With Plans To Do Even Better
- Will Grading Principal Improve Pittsburgh Schools?
- Are Pittsburgh Schools in Trouble?
- Pittsburgh Schools Offer Affordable College Education
Teaching Dyscalculia Children Using Chess
By: Frank Ho | 23/12/2009I start to understand dyscalculia after I taught some children who had math disabilities. I got very strange feeling when teaching those children - it did not matter how I taught using manipulatives or concrete examples, their progresses were not in proportion to the time I spent with them. After I did research in dyscalculia, I started to create worksheets for those students. My worksheets created were specifically tested by those students having dyscalculia.
The New Playground for Children- Internet
By: shashanks | 20/12/2009Try teaching a child how to subtract 3 from 5, and you might face disappointment. However ask him/her this “suppose your Mom brings 5 chocolates for you and your brother takes 2 from you, how many chocolates you will have?” and you might get the right answer. Online Tutoring, especially online math assistance, can be made simple by including fun ways to teach.
What Makes Math Learning Fun
By: Frank Ho | 18/12/2009Parents use math marks as a guideline to see if their children’s math have improved, there is nothing wrong with it. My personal experience is that I will feel much relaxed if my tutored student has improved to a stage that math tutoring is fun for both of us. The atmosphere is very relaxed and I can see that the student is enjoying the fun of math learning. The student’s attitude and facial expression are all very relaxed and student's reaction is very exciting and happy.
Want to Help Your Child Read and Understand the Written Language Better?
By: Myrna Peterson-Schmidt | 17/12/2009Is your child having trouble reading and understanding their school work? Want to help your child have a better understanding of the written word and do better in his or her school work? Well here is the answer to your problems. Hooked On Phonics is the best way to achieve this goal for your child.
How to train your dog in easy steps
By: CHRIS TAYLOR | 15/12/2009A dog is your best friend . You spend hours and dollars on your dog every month---so why not get the benefit that you should get by training your dog properly?
7 effective ways to learn how too play piano fast
By: joseph king | 10/12/2009Imagine being able to sit down at a piano and just PLAY - Pop, Blues, Jazz, Ragtime, Ballads, even incredible Classical pieces? Now you can.. and you can do it in months not years! Imagine you could learn piano or keyboard without having to spend money, time and effort on traditional Piano Lessons.
Value of Time in Islam
By: S, S. Mallicks | 08/12/2009It is imperative for a Muslim to know the value of his/her time, for ‘time is life’. In fact, wasting time is much more dangerous than squandering property, because unlike property, time cannot be compensated. In Islam things should be regarded according to their level of significance.
Cili Fertigasi in Malaysia
By: Shah. S | 06/12/2009Just imagine the amount of money a fresh graduate can yield from 1 acre plot of land. Easily RM3,000 to RM6,000 permonth from modern farming works. The future is bright for 'Cili Fertigasi' in Malaysia. Several local companies run by the earlier breed of chilli fertigation farmers or 'usahawan' are currently offering training programs with several package to help apprentice farmers to get the right quick start into this fertigation business.
A Taste Of China - Seattle Schools New Guest Teacher Shares Language And Culture Of Her Native Home
By: Jason Thomas | 12/04/2007 | TutoringThe Seattle schools have a new "guest" teacher. Zhu Dan arrived in the Seattle schools in January and will stay for an 18-month guest teacher program. Dan, who teaches college-level English in her native Kunming, China, has the option to extend her stay for another year. Dan is one of...