LANSING, Mich. — Disruptive and sometimes violent student behavior is now the top worry it has ever been for Michigan school employees, according to a statewide survey released Thursday by the Michigan Education Association.
The teachers union polled 4,040 public school teachers and support staff working from pre-K through 12th grade. After years of asking the same questions, the union found concern at its peak in this round.
The numbers are stark. Eight in 10 respondents, 82%, said a student’s verbal outburst had seriously disrupted learning in their classroom. Two-thirds, 66%, have had property damaged or destroyed by a student, and 58% have been threatened or verbally attacked. Four in 10 have had to clear an entire classroom because of a student’s behavior.
The strain is pushing people toward the exit. Sixty-four percent said classroom behavior has them thinking more seriously about quitting education. Many also said they feel alone in handling it: 84% cited too little help from families, and 62% each pointed to a shortage of classroom support staff and a lack of backing from administrators.
Educators at Thursday’s release described students flipping desks and throwing chairs and objects, and staff being spit on, hit, kicked and even choked. Class time that should go to instruction is instead spent restoring order and keeping children safe, they said.
The union is asking state lawmakers for more resources, though it did not attach a statewide dollar figure, even as schools receive record per-pupil funding. It listed mental health struggles, heavy social media use and more screen time as possible drivers. MEA senior executive director Erik Edoff said the fix will require educators, administrators, families, policymakers and community groups working together.
The online survey was conducted Aug. 12-21 by an Ann Arbor research firm and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.
From the HERE City State Desk.
Section: More Lansing MI education news
Filed under: Lansing MI Education News
