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Teacher urges board to address 32‑student class sizes and safety after classroom assault
Summary
A 24‑year district teacher told the La Mesa‑Spring Valley board she is teaching 32 students (she said that is the Ed Code limit), described recent assaults and persistent staffing shortages, and urged concrete actions rather than apologies.
Karen Seok, a 24‑year general education teacher at Rolando Elementary, used the board's public‑comment period to describe what she called untenable classroom conditions and a recent assault by a student that left her on workers' compensation.
Seok said she currently has 32 students on her roster — "32 is the legal limit Allowed by Ed code," she said — and described a workload increase she estimated at about 20 percent. She said classroom supports are insufficient, that multiple attempts to change the placement of a student with chronic behavior concerns had not yielded results, and that district staffing gaps have forced classroom disruptions and the cancellation or shortening of classes.
"Please don't tell me that you're sorry and please don't tell me to take a yoga class to reduce my stress," Seok told the board. "Please show me that you're sorry by your actions and initiate some change for your teachers."
Seok said she had been assaulted by a student and remains on limited duty while recovering, and that the student "has had up to three adults following him daily for over a school year" without a change in placement. She urged the board to reassign staff so those adults could work directly in general education classrooms to ease pressure on teachers.
The board did not take action during public comment but acknowledged the concerns. The meeting continued with district presentations on Measure V projects and the unaudited actuals financial report. The board's consent items and several resolutions were approved later in the meeting.
