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Teachers urge Merced City School District to act on classroom safety and behavior
Summary
During public comment, multiple teachers and staff told the board classroom disruptions are frequent and sometimes violent, asked for immediate supports — including district-funded radios, more trained behavior aides, and clearer referral pathways — and warned evacuations of entire classes are denying students instruction.
Multiple Merced City School District teachers and staff packed the podium during public comment at the Oct. 28 board meeting to press trustees for rapid action on student behavior and campus safety.
"This is a request for help, not criticism," said Michelle Delgado, a longtime district educator, describing repeated classroom evacuations, physical aggression and episodes in which teachers had to escort a single disruptive student back to class while 20 others lost instructional time. Delgado asked the district to provide immediate communications equipment such as radios so teachers can summon help without depending on site funds.
Other commenters echoed a similar urgency. Ivonne Noriega, first vice president of the classified employees union, thanked bargaining teams for progress at the negotiating table but said staff still face unsafe classroom conditions. Multiple teachers recommended district-funded behavior aides, clearer student referral processes for the community day school (CDS) alternative, and time-bound professional development so literacy programs are used to fidelity.
Speakers cited specific operational gaps: inconsistent implementation of structured literacy programs (Heggerty, UFLY) because training has been voluntary, uneven use of campus supports (CSLs, RJLs) and what they described as inadequate documentation and follow-through when students are removed from class. Andrea Sanchez and others urged expanding trained behavior-aid staffing and reinstating or reviewing prior behavior-intervention alternatives.
Trustees acknowledged the intensity of the testimony and asked staff for follow-up data and immediate options. Board members said they want to avoid ad hoc responses but recognized teachers’ repeated calls for short-term, deployable solutions. Assistant Superintendent Sergio Mendes and staff committed to revisiting the district’s extreme-behavior response, clarifying operational protocols, and returning with more detailed, site-level data.
The board did not adopt any policy at the meeting; staff said they will bring specific proposals and program-impact data to upcoming meetings, including the Dec. 9 update for lowest-performing students. The meeting closed with trustees agreeing to site visits and focused follow-up on behavior protocols, documentation practices, and communication tools.
