Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/34960
adds Michel. He learned the hard way that one student had a propensity for violence when the student stabbed Michel in the face with a pencil, barely missing his eye. Michel believes that it is wrong to hold special education students to a dif- ferent standard of behavior than general education students if they are able to un- derstand right from wrong. “I don’t think we are dealing with this in the right way,” he says. “Special educa- tion becomes an excuse not to behave. If you do something wrong in the outside world, nobody cares who you are. In the street, the police won’t say, ‘You were in special ed, so we won’t lock you up.’” Not enough information Special education teachers are supposed to receive information about a student’s vi- olent past, but most educators say that they are not given this information when a new student is transferred into their classroom. Barbara Schulman, a special education teacher and chair of the SEC, says that teachers frequently get students who are expelled from other schools and aren’t told why. This also affects general ed- ucation teachers who have special education students in their classes or deal with them in other capacities. Since they not considered the “teacher of record,” confidentiality may be used to keep them from being informed that a stu- Julie Davis Vacaville Teachers Association dent has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or a history of acting out. That lack of information led to severe injuries for Julie Davis, a general education teacher and member of the Vacaville Teachers Association (VTA), who was supervising an in- school suspension program at Vaca Peña Middle School. When she politely asked a student to move his chair, he refus ed, thre atening to punch her. A phone call to the principal’s office went to voice mail. She looked out- side for a staff member and saw no one. As she walked back to her desk, the student stuck out his foot and from Linda Nimer, author of “The Dirty Little Secret” > Develop a written plan for dealing with a particular student. Keep a copy for yourself and send copies to the school site administrator and district special education staff. IF YOU ARE THREATENED: > Implement the school safety plan. > If the school safety plan does not pro- vide immediate support or assistance, isolate the student. > Remove other students from the area. > Allow cool-down time. > Document the incident. IF YOU ARE ATTACKED OR FEARFUL OF ATTACK: > Go to administration and demand that you and your staff receive crisis inter- vention training, such as CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute). 18 California Educator | JUNE 2011 > Practice the plan on a regular basis. > Demand a walkie-talkie for your classroom. > Develop rapport with campus security. > Document all attacks and file reports with the site/district/state. > Contact your local association to find out what contract language is in place and what kinds of protection are avail- able through bargaining. > File a police report if necessary. > Invite your administrator, psychologist, special education department adminis- tration and others to come in and dem- onstrate how one should deal with a problem situation. > Do not listen to others when they say “it’s part of the job” or “it comes with the territory.” IF YOU HAVE BEEN ATTACKED: > Take a few slow, deep breaths. > Use “self-talk” to calm yourself down. > Recognize that it’s a big deal and you have been through a traumatic event. It’s OK to be upset. > Seek social support from colleagues, friends and family. > Seek support from your administra- tors and union representative. > Monitor signs of personal distress that may occur afterward, such as trouble sleeping, trouble concentrat- ing, loss of appetite, tearfulness, etc. > See a mental health professional if needed. > Talk to your administrator about having a plan in place to deal with similar issues proactively in the future. > Do not blame yourself. Tips for handling threatening situations