POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County teacher is sounding the alarm about student violence, and hundreds of educators are joining the call for action.
Judy Thomas just retired in July after teaching in Polk County for 44 years. She said in recent years she has noticed a troubling trend in students’ behavior.
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“Over the years you do see a difference in the children’s behavior,” said Thomas. “You were able to talk to the students and have them understand. As time has gone by it has changed. Behavior has changed, where you have students who may talk back.”
An online petition created by a Winter Haven teacher is gaining momentum, urging Polk County Public Schools leaders to take action.
The petition is calling for immediate and decisive action to protect teachers and students from an increase in bad behavior and student violence in classrooms.
“A lot of times they are taking the brunt of the physical violent behaviors because they are protecting other students. So, we’re seeing more and more teachers and staff have incident reports, workers comp claims because they are getting hurt,” said Stephanie Yocum, President of Polk Education Association.
The petition claims that violent students are often returned to classrooms within minutes. The petition's sponsors say there is a lack of accountability, and this has led to the high number of teacher vacancies.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to Polk County Public Schools. In an emailed statement, the district said in part:
“There is zero tolerance for acts or threats of violence. School administrators have been instructed to take such incidents seriously, and the district’s Office of Discipline ensures proper discipline is handed out in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.”
The petition lists five demands:
- A public plan to address student violence in Polk County schools.
- Immediate removal of students who exhibit violent tendencies until a thorough behavior review is completed.
- Increased training and support for school staff and administration including behavior intervention teams and crisis support.
- Public acknowledgment from the Superintendent and School Board of the “current crisis.”
- Regular public updates on disciplinary statistics and teacher retention efforts.
As of September 18, the petition has 579 signatures.
Yocum said district and state leaders must act now to protect teachers, staff, and students.
“We cannot just continue to just not deal with them and think they’re just going to go away. We’ve seen an escalation of violent behaviors over the last five years, and we have to come to terms with that. And our state has to fund fully, behavior and mental health support in our district,” Yocum said.
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