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Parents and a first‑grade teacher tell trustees repeated classroom violence forced evacuations and children out of school
Summary
Several Breen Elementary parents and first-grade teacher Sarah Gardner described repeated violent incidents in one classroom—punching, kicking, throwing objects—and said notifications to parents were inadequate; superintendent said staff will investigate and report back to the board.
At public comment the board heard multiple urgent appeals about persistent, extreme behavior incidents in a first‑grade classroom at Breen Elementary.
Sarah Gardner, the classroom teacher, described repeated evacuations and student assaults in her first grade class since August, saying teachers and students have been kicked, hit, bitten and threatened with scissors and that the frequent disruptions have disrupted instruction and frightened students.
"This isn't education. This is survival," Gardner said, asking the district to deploy "a full‑time behavior support professional" to intervene early and remain until students are consistently safe.
Parents corroborated the concerns. One parent said she had pulled her child out of school for several days because her child «doesn't wanna go to school anymore» due to the incidents; others described learning about evacuations indirectly and asked why parents were not notified after repeated events.
Superintendent Stock and district staff responded that the district's policy is to notify parents if students are injured and that staff would investigate the concerns, work with school leadership, and report findings and any recommended actions back to the board. Trustees asked staff to provide details on existing behavior‑support resources, how teachers request help and what the expected response timelines are, and a trustee with board expertise in behavior supports offered to help prepare an informational item.
The board did not take action during public comment, but staff committed to follow up with principal and school leadership and with trustees on next steps.
This article is based on public-comment testimony at the Nov. 18 Rockland Unified School District board meeting.
