Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teacher group urges Beaumont Unified to act on rising student violence, calls for more counselors and supervision
Summary
At the March 25 Beaumont Unified board meeting, a teacher and union representatives urged the district to address escalating student violence and classroom disruptions, calling for faster investigations, a cohesive discipline plan beyond PBIS, more campus supervisors and additional counselors and behavioral specialists.
Shauna Hills, an educator and executive-board member of the Bowmont Teachers Association, told the Beaumont Unified School District Board of Trustees that teachers across the district are ‘‘extremely stressed out’’ by frequent disruptions she described as physical and verbal aggression, including biting, spitting, kicking and throwing objects. She said teachers have been asked to document incidents but that ‘‘students have pretty much figured out that there are no real consequences for poor behavior.’’
Hills urged the board to investigate incidents ‘‘in a timely and thorough manner,’’ adopt a cohesive discipline plan that goes beyond the district’s current PBIS program and increase on-site supervision and counseling resources, especially at elementary schools where she said a single campus supervisor and one behavioral specialist are inadequate for sites of 700 students or more.
The district’s teacher union reiterated those concerns during its report, calling for clearer staffing standards and progress in contract negotiations to help retain special-education teachers. The union asked the board to adopt measurable standards so the community can see a commitment to staffing and student supports.
Board members acknowledged the problem and asked staff for more information. Dr. Lansston Sylvester requested that the board receive the district’s written protocols and procedures for school discipline and for responding when teachers or students may be endangered so trustees can better evaluate options and next steps.
The board did not take any formal action on discipline policy at the meeting; members discussed next steps and noted the issue is being raised in bargaining and in future agenda cycles.
Speaker list: Shauna Hills (educator, Bowmont Teachers Association); Bowmont Teachers Association representative; Dr. Lansston Sylvester (trustee).
Context: The comments were made during the public-comment period of the March 25 board meeting. Hills described specific behavior incidents and recommended operational changes (investigations, staffing, counselors). Union representatives raised related bargaining and staffing issues during reports.
