Lorain City parents and teachers press board over student behavior and proposed schedule change

Lorain City Schools board members heard an extended series of public comments on Monday, March 10, as parents, teachers and the Lorain Education Association pressed the district to address persistent student behavioral incidents and to provide details explaining a proposed change that would lengthen the school day.

Julie Garcia, president of the Lorain Education Association, told the board, “We are here tonight to strongly oppose the proposed time change and to demand answers regarding how this decision was made despite overwhelming opposition from teachers.” Garcia pressed the district to publish teacher and community survey results and to clarify how staff planning and student dismissal would work under the plan.

The matter drew multiple speakers and detailed accounts of classroom incidents that parents and teachers said are occurring repeatedly. Karen Rossi, a teacher who said she is in her 34th year, described physical incidents in her classroom and said she recently wrote an incident report after being struck and prescribed medication. “I went home, took Tylenol… I was prescribed muscle relaxers and a steroid,” Rossi said, arguing that teachers and young students are being traumatized by repeated violent behavior.

Multiple parents also said the district’s proposed schedule change — presented in discussion as adding 15 or 30 minutes to the day for some grades and more for preschool — would increase stress on students and remove or compress teachers’ planning time. Nicole Sturgill, a parent of a preschooler, said the proposal would add an hour and 15 minutes to the day for 3- to 5-year-olds and urged the district to confirm whether required snack and supervision rules would be met.

Teachers and parents said supports meant to address behavior have been insufficient or uneven. Speakers described a shortfall of behavior specialists and paraprofessionals, infrequent or delayed responses after panic-button incidents and inconsistent communication to parents when emergency procedures are triggered. One parent said a panic button was pressed in a classroom but no parent notification followed; a teacher said she has repeatedly asked for behavior specialists and special-education supervisors to observe her class.

Superintendent Doctor Graham acknowledged the district’s limits under law and described steps the district has taken, saying the district “hired assistant principals for all of our schools, guidance counselors for all of our elementary schools, behavior coaches, wellness coaches,” and that the district is trying to use those staff more effectively. Graham also said the district plans to change how most IEP meetings are staffed so building administrators, rather than special-education supervisors, attend the majority of meetings to free specialists to work directly in classrooms.

Board members and administrators did not act on the proposed schedule during the meeting. Board president and members said they would convene a work session with administration and union representatives to review data and possible responses. Board vice president (name listed on roll) moved routine minutes and consent items and those motions later passed by roll-call votes, but no formal decision on the schedule or on additional behavioral staffing was made.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the Feb. 24, 2025, regular meeting minutes (roll call: Sturgill yes; Washington yes; Ferguson yes; Fowler yes; Nazario yes); accepted donations and routine treasurer items (8.01–8.04) and approved personnel items listed as 9.01 and 9.02–9.07 (on 9.02–9.07, Board member Sturgill recorded an abstention because of a relative), and approved operations items 10.01–10.08. The board set a committee meeting on culture, climate and safety to follow up.

Why this matters: teachers and parents at Lorain’s elementary schools described recurring, sometimes violent classroom incidents they say are reducing instructional time and harming both students and staff. Board members and the superintendent said the district has invested in personnel intended to address behavior but that those resources have not always been used in a consistent, structured way. The speakers asked the board to spell out how a schedule change would affect dismissal, supervision and contractual planning time for teachers before any change is adopted.

The board agreed to assemble data and hold a focused work session with administrators and union representatives. Parents and teachers asked for clearer communication about emergency notifications, a larger and better-deployed team of behavior specialists or paraprofessionals, and training for parent volunteers and classroom staff. No formal policy changes or staffing additions were approved during the meeting.