School Safety Concerns

Not everyone is aware of how chaotic our public schools have become and some may wonder why so many teachers have left, or are considering leaving, the profession. Last month, Waldo Middle School staff sent a letter to Superintendent Perry pleading for accountability to be returned to school. This letter illustrates everything that is wrong with the new focus on Social Justice, which removes boundaries that keep behavior issues in check.

(Please excuse the poor quality of the photos below.)

Social Justice Is Destroying Education

WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE? 
Social Justice is rooted in the idea of restoring the offender and is an extension of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity policies. Victims are not given a voice in this new system of "Restorative Practices" because the focus is on how to help the perpetrator, to recognize the reasons for their negative actions without causing shame or guilt. This sends the message that the feelings of the perpetrator are more important than those of the victims.

WHAT ARE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES?

According to the International Institute for Restorative Practices, it "is an emerging social science that studies how to strengthen relationships between individuals as well as social connections within communities". Furthermore, The Hetchinger Report describes Restorative Justice, a subset of Restorative Practices as, "a set of practices that originated in the criminal justice sector in the 1970s to help victims and offenders reconcile or come to some sort of agreement on reparations. In education settings, there are various ways to implement this alternative to suspensions and expulsions but it generally involves having kids sit in a circle and discuss their conflicts with the help of an adult mediator".

DOES SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK? 
SKPS says that their discipline policy, which has been in place for nearly a decade now, is focused on social-emotional learning and behavioral success. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which includes Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS), is a multi-tiered framework for matching instruction and support to student needs, both academically and behaviorally. Intended outcomes include:
 

• Reduction in problem behavior
• Increased academic performance
• Increased attendance
• Improved perception of safety
• Improved organizational efficiency
• Reduction in staff turnover
• Increased perception of teacher efficacy
• Reduction in disparities in the discipline system (i.e., equity concerns)

BUT, for SKPS this is NOT the case! 

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES ARE DESTROYING EDUCATION

Recent surveys found that almost half of teachers are quitting, over a third are quitting the profession entirely. Classrooms are out of control and very little actual learning is taking place as teachers are given the impossible task of managing behaviors in the absence of any accountability with less staff and resources. Reports of human-caused injuries have nearly quadrupled in the last five years. The data shows an increase from 153 incidents during the 2014-15 school year to 606 in 2018-19 (see graph below).

In 2018, The Oregon Education Association reported that the state had a “crisis of disrupted learning” (click on the button below to access the document) based on interviews and surveys from teachers around the state. They reported an escalation in violent and rude behavior with few tools to control the increasing number of emotionally challenged students, making teaching and learning practically impossible.

In 2019, KGW TV produced a series titled “Classrooms in Crisis,” where teachers all over Oregon and Washington described a policy of "classroom clears," which is when a student exhibiting unsafe behavior is left to destroy the classroom while their classroom peers leave to join another classroom  or safe space, sometimes sitting in the hallway or on the stairs, until the student calms down. We have been told that this happens in SKSD, but teachers are afraid to say anything. Since teachers aren't allowed to physically restrain a student they have no way to contain severe behavior and must instead wait for other trained staff to arrive to assist with the situation. 

In 2020, a $2 billion education funding package was approved by the Oregon Legislature, the Student Success Act, in part after hearing multiple stories of extreme student behavior. Our schools have done away with a dress code, with penalties for disruptive behavior, with expectations around sexual behavior - except for welcoming transgender students into their “imagined gender” consistent bathrooms. There are no consequences for tardiness or absences so students wander the halls at will. Without expectation of punishment, the bullies are flourishing and the weak are being pummeled. Natural consequences are difficult to find because teachers are told it is unkind or unfair to rob a student of going on a field trip or playing outside.

WAYS TO ENGAGE

• Check the values underlying your child’s curriculum; all parents have the right to view curriculum upon request at any time.
• Build a relationship with your child's teacher and principal. Ask how you can help, acknowledge what's being done well, send encouraging messages, etc.
• Ask to see what's being taught. Be respectful. Assume the best, but verify.
• Ask to visit your child's classroom. Let the teacher know that you genuinely care. Encourage teachers who share your values.
• Ask to see what books students are reading, specifically as part of their literacy and integrated studies (science, social studies, & health) curriculum.
• Submit a letter outlining your concern and communicate your need to be notified in advance of any Comprehensive Sex Ed. instruction.
• Ask to be notified of the content of any school assemblies, outside teachers, or presenters that will be teaching your kids. Ask for their credentials and what material or handouts will be used.
• Share your concerns at a school board meeting by speaking or submitting written comment.

Join the Citizens Alliance Network

CAN is an advocacy group working to bring conservative values back to

the Salem-Keizer area in regards to education, local leadership, and state issues. SKWST will be partnering with CAN to increase our impact.

Salem Keizer We Stand Together is a nonpartisan group of citizens striving to educate, equip, encourage, and empower our community to respectfully engage with one voice for parent’s rights, educational transparency, equal opportunity, academic excellence, and school choice for every student.

Our group is about transparency and choice. We want to inform parents and guardians of their choices and provide them tools to successfully engage with the school system.