Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/34960
W inetta Belt-Vargas never saw it coming. She was walking with a special education student to teach him about the community at large, and the student turned around and smacked her in the face. “It’s unacceptable,” says Belt-Vargas, a special educa- tion teacher at Rosemead High School in the Los An- geles area. “The student was mentally ill and intellectually disabled. I choose to work with these kids and love my job, but it does get dangerous at times.” After the attack, the stu- risk of physical attack, and that special education students usually go unpun- ished for their actions. While students who assault teachers in general educa- tion classes are removed from their school, students in special education classes are seldom removed at all, notes Nimer, past president of CARS+, the Organization for Special Educators. According to Nimer’s re- dent was sent home, only to return a day later. There was nowhere else for the student to go, and the student had “rights” to be in her classroom, says Belt-Vargas, an El Monte Union Educators Association member who serves on CTA’s Special Education Committee (SEC) at State Council. CTA members say what happened to her is a common occurrence, even though the general public isn’t aware of it. In special education, they call it “the dirty little secret.” The secret is that teachers and paraeducators are assault- ed by students. Attacks can happen out of the blue — or there may be plenty of warning signs. Assaults can cause debil- itating physical injuries, end careers and cause psychological problems that make educators fearful of returning to the classroom. The risks involved “The Dirty Little Secret,” a report by Fresno Teachers Association member Linda Nimer, states that working with a special-needs population carries a higher Winetta Belt-Vargas El Monte Union Educators Association port, educators who have been injured may be victimized ver- bally by insensitive adminis- trators with comments such as: “It’s part of the job. You were trained to deal with this. There is nothing that can be done. You get paid for working with these kids.” After a violent incident, administra- tors frequently warn teachers and paras that they have to be “careful” about what kinds of complaints are lodged and how far they “push” the issue, because they fear parents may sue over their child being denied the right to learn in the least re- strictive environment. Lack of consequences But teachers and educa- tion support professionals (ESP) al so have rights. Schools are workplaces regu- lated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Under that legislation, says Nimer, school board members, administrators and others must take every reasonable precaution to protect all workers, includ- ing teachers and ESP, in a school setting. But educators say that isn’t happening. “I am kicked, hit, pinched and spit on,” says Faith Brandstetter, a special education teacher and member of the Los Angeles County Education Association. “I have had my nose broken three times, torn my rotator cuff in both shoulders, injured my back, shoulder and elbow, and had a ligament torn in my thumb. Now I have a piece of bone floating around in my hand. I have al- so had my ankle reconstructed.” Most of her students have behavioral is- sues, says Brandstetter, vice-chair of the SEC. Some strike out intentionally when they are angry; some may not be aware they are inflicting pain. “Our administrators listen, but not much has been done,” she says. “We write behavior plans that are supposed to be reviewed on a regular basis. In our office these plans used to be written by the psychologists, but are now written by the teacher.” A different standard Even when school employees fill out Roberto Michel United Educators of San Francisco paperwork after an attack, administra- tion moves slowly, says Ro- berto Michel, an education support professional at Paul Revere Elementary School in San Francisco and a member of the SEC. It sometimes takes more than a year before a school in his district takes action, which is usual ly transferring the violent stu- dent to another school, says Michel, a member of United Educators of San Francisco. Even with paperwork docu- menting violent incidents, students usu- ally just receive “time-outs” and short suspensions. When students are transferred, their new teachers and aides are often not in- formed about a student’s violent past, JUNE 2011 | www.cta.org 17