Cynthia de las Fuentes, PhD President at American Psychological Association | Official website
A new report by the American Psychological Association reveals that threats and violence against pre-K to 12th-grade teachers and other school personnel in the United States have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels or higher after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. This resurgence has led to an increase in the percentage of teachers expressing intentions to resign or transfer, rising from 49% during the pandemic to 57% afterward.
“Aggression and violence against educators and school personnel are major concerns that affect the well-being of school personnel and the students and families they serve. This study highlights a growing crisis in our schools that needs to be addressed nationally,” said lead author Susan Dvorak McMahon, PhD, of DePaul University, chair of the APA Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel.
The task force conducted two surveys in collaboration with national education organizations. The first survey, conducted from August 2020 to June 2021, involved approximately 15,000 educators reporting their experiences before and during the pandemic. The second survey, conducted in 2022 after many schools had lifted Covid-19 restrictions, polled around 12,000 educators. Both surveys included participants from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Respondents reported encounters with various forms of violence such as verbal harassment, threats, cyberbullying, and physical violence from students, parents/guardians, colleagues, and administrators. They also indicated whether they intended to quit or transfer within the school system.
Sixty-five percent of teachers in the first wave reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or threatening behavior from a student prior to the pandemic; this decreased to 33% during the pandemic but rose again to 80% post-pandemic. Similarly, incidents involving parents dropped from 53% pre-pandemic to 29% during but surged back up to 63% afterward.
Physical violence followed a similar trend: instances with students were reported by 42% of teachers before the pandemic, fell to 14% during it but increased again to 56%. Encounters with violent parents jumped significantly post-pandemic—from less than 1% during the pandemic to 26%.
“Teacher and staff turnover creates additional challenges for schools and students and makes the job more difficult for those who stay,” McMahon noted.
Other school personnel such as psychologists, social workers, counselors, administrators also experienced similar patterns of violence decreasing during but increasing after pandemic restrictions were lifted. Participants across all categories reported increases in anxiety and stress during the pandemic which did not return to pre-pandemic levels post-restrictions.
“These findings point to a desperate need for a comprehensive approach by policymakers to address violence and aggression against educators and build positive and safe schools,” said McMahon. She emphasized training educators in trauma-informed practices, socioemotional learning approaches, de-escalation strategies among others.
The researchers recommended engaging educators in discussions regarding school practices while supporting mental health initiatives for both students and staff.
“Our research has demonstrated that violence and aggression against teachers—from students, parents, colleagues, and administrators—lead to anxiety and stress which in turn lead to intentions to transfer schools or quit the profession,” McMahon stated. “We need to address the entire ecology of the school as well as engage with parents and communities.”
The full article titled “Violence and Aggression Against Educators and School Personnel” was published online on May 30th by American Psychologist.
Contact:
Susan D. McMahon via email.
Russell Dorn at DePaul University Media Relations via email.
