08/21/2025
Most school districts are back in full swing this week and another school year has begun! Students, parents, and teachers alike may be feeling some worry about the unknown that this year may bring.
Adjusting to change, social anxiety and peer pressure, academic pressure and performance, homesickness and anxiety, time management and organization, navigating the social landscape of a school environment, and bullying just to name a few are some of the stressors and challenges many students may face this year.
Classroom management, relationship building, workload and time management, navigating differentiated instruction methods, keeping up with educational trends and technology, maintaining effective parent collaboration and communication, and addressing the needs of student with mental health and special needs present challenges for many teachers.
One thing that is a concern for everyone each and every year is the topic of school safety. The news feeds and television networks are abuzz right now publishing and broadcasting their usual back to school news articles and stories.
One particular popular morning news show recently aired a show featuring a parent who had lost her child some years ago in a school shooting. Some of her comments and those of some experts in the field of education included the following comments:
"School safety is a layered approach."
"More communication is necessary between educators, parents, and community leaders."
"To improve school safety it is important to identify students 'at risk for violence' and get them some help."
Without a doubt these are things that can go a long way to ensure safety in our schools - how long have many of us been saying these things? Yet, it was a little troubling that no mention was made of students with additional needs and disabilities, or how they frequently are viewed as "risks" to the safety of other students and teachers, and this is an important topic along with the alarming numbers of students with disabilities who are frequently suspended from school rather than being supported and given services to help them.
We understand and appreciate the fact that teachers and school administrators are responsible for the daunting task of meeting the educational needs of all students. We are not insensitive to the fact that students with IEPs present additional responsibilities for teachers to navigate which can be time consuming and add to the pressure and strain they already experience.
A recent poll revealed that 44% of teachers grade K-12 report feeling burnout "often or always." The findings also reveal that as a result many quit on average five years after beginning a teaching career. Teachers are quitting the profession in record numbers, and the reasons vary from low salaries to extensive administrative work outside the classroom requiring long work hours to complete, and the list of other reasons is long.
During my years as an advocate for parents with children (including my own son) who have IEPs, some of the common reasons school staff cite for difficulties they encounter following IEPs or identifying those who could benefit from one, are lack of skilled staff, shortages of time, lack of funding/resources, and the fact there are are on average 25 other students in the classroom.
These factors are not supposed to hinder schools from meeting the needs of students with IEPs, yet the harsh reality is they do. This combined with teacher burnout should remain at the forefront of a "layered approach" during conversations with educators, parents, and community leaders when we are talking about identifying students "at risk" for school violence.
Moving forward, in an effort to reduce risks and ensure the needs of students and teachers alike are met, perhaps more emphasis should be placed on acknowledging the reality that all too often students with mental health and disabilities are not being identified, and are not getting the services/ supports they need.
My experience and observation has been that schools are often highly resistant to assess or identify a student who may benefit from support and interventions at school - preferring to suspend or take other punitive measures instead that often only exacerbate the problems. So its great to hear news stories making calls to identify students who are "at risk" and "get them some help" but the reality is that is not happening on the scale it should.
This is not entirely due to school staff resistance, the other factor is parents are often ill informed about their child's rights, and too often schools are not forthcoming with enough information for them. School staff take a lot of pride in being able to successfully support students with challenges at school which is admirable, but in some cases acknowledging they cannot effectively support a student is the best thing for everyone. There should be no shame for a school to accept outside support and help for students who need them. Perhaps we should look at how to reduce the stigma or fear schools have in acknowledging the challenges they are facing to support students engaging in difficult behaviors?
It is also helpful when parents become more informed about school procedures and policies and understand their rights. Parent burnout is often a prevalent factor as well, and this sometimes can be the reason they come across as "not involved" with their child's education, which in turn can become a source of frustration for teachers.
Creating a school environment where everyone feels safe can be challenging, and there are so many factors to consider. Let's keep this conversation going. Let's explore ways to build a layered approach that involves everyone in schools, in homes, and in communities working together to keep our schools safe.
A good place to start may be by exploring how to ensure the needs of students and teachers alike are being effectively and consistently met, and equip them with what they need. This will go a long way toward fostering a school environment where students thrive and teachers can be more effective and feel supported
It is said that all behavior is communication. Many students "at risk" for violence often sounded cries through their behaviors long before they became considered safety risks. Some of them were never identified as having needs and never got the help they needed.
May this school year be a stellar year of learning, growth, progress, safety, and success for students and school staff alike!
~ Annette Arms M.S., LPC, NCC
