Mounting Disobedience In Our Schools

Published January 29, 2025

In a December Education Week poll, teachers and administrators disclose that student behavior is worsening. Since pre-pandemic 2019, “there’s been a pronounced spike in behavior problems, ranging from minor classroom disruptions to more serious student fights broadcast on social media.”

The survey results reveal that 72% of educators say that students in their classroom, school, or district have been misbehaving either “a little” (24%) or “a lot” (48%) more than in the fall of 2019, the last semester before the COVID-19 shutdowns began.

The problem in Los Angeles is particularly grim. In the 2023-2024 school year, the district’s School Experience Survey shows that just 58.5% of elementary students, 55.2% of middle school students, and 51.6% of high school students reported feeling safe in their schools—a significant drop from previous years. Their fears are justified as “fighting and physical aggression increased by 16.8% from the 2022-2023 school year to 2023-2024, while threats surged by 28.5%.”

Nevada is ineptly dealing with the issue by moving problem kids to another school, and a former paraprofessional is suing the Washoe County School District over claims that “the system shuffles dangerous students between schools without adequately alerting staff about their behavior and terminated him in retaliation.”

A North Carolina school district tried to improve discipline by implementing a policy for which it paid a nonprofit over $800,000 to help it create. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools had fewer short and long-term suspensions for the school year and no expulsions, part of a broader shift toward “equitable discipline.”

Didn’t work. The district reported a higher crime rate than the previous year. Critics say the changes have made conditions worse for students because the disrupters are not removed from class.

Then, there is the ongoing education establishment assertion that cops in school are not necessary. But, in reality, teachers don’t want them removed. A Heritage Foundation survey found that only 7% of teachers responded affirmatively to the question, “Do you think defunding school resource officers will make schools safer?”

Similarly, an EdWeek Research Center poll from 2020 found that only 20% of teachers, principals, and district leaders completely or partly agreed that armed police officers should be eliminated from public schools.

Parents aren’t fond of the idea, either. In Los Angeles, a district-commissioned survey found that 72% of Asian-American and Pacific Islander parents, 67% of Hispanic parents, 54% of white parents, and 50% of black parents agreed that a police presence makes schools safer.

No matter. The education bureaucracy, heavily influenced by the teachers’ unions, prefers the touchy-feely method of dealing with kids who act out, regardless of its efficacy.

In Los Angeles, the school district cut 133, or about 40%, of its school cops in favor of kinder and gentler “climate coaches” in 2021. It was also decided that police would no longer patrol campuses and would only be called upon to respond in person during emergencies.

What should be done?

To continue reading, go to 
www.forkidsandcountry.org/blog/the-sandstorm-mounting-disobedience-in-our-schools