DCPS fires 12, suspends another 12 D.C. Public Schools teachers and staffers attacked students 64 times this school year, a big leap from the 36 proven cases of corporal punishment last year, according to school officials.
Twelve of the employees have been fired and another 12 have been suspended, as investigations continue into 32 incidents.
Corporal punishment includes “shoving, striking, grabbing, shaking, hitting, throwing of objects, unreasonable restraints” as well as “directing others to inflict any of the above on a student,” said Fred Lewis, a spokesman for Chancellor Kaya Henderson.
| Corporal punishment in D.C. Public Schools | ||||||
| 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | ||||
| Total allegations | 110 | 125 | 195 | |||
| Total substantiated | 44 | 36 | 64 | |||
| Terminated | 4 | 6 | 12 | |||
| Suspended | 24 | 18 | 12 | |||
| Written reprimands | 4 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Verbal reprimands | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Counseling | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| No action | 9 | 7 | 4 | |||
| Not yet complete | 2 | 3 | 32 | |||
| Source: D.C. Public Schools | ||||||
In one incident, Pamela Ransome, the principal of Johnson Middle School in Southeast, was removed from the school system this year after an investigation proved she committed corporal punishment. The mother of a victim told the Washington Post that Ransome grabbed her daughter’s arm, pushed her against the blackboard, grabbed her by the hair, and punched her in the face — all because the girl refused to surrender her cell phone.
In addition to the 12 fired employees and 12 suspensions, three cases ended in written reprimands; one in counseling; four cases met no disciplinary action; and 32 punishments are still being decided. DCPS employs 6,500 teachers, principals and other staffers.
“In all cases, the Metropolitan Police Department investigates and determines if the incidents should be forwarded to the attorney general, who will determine if criminal charges are warranted,” Lewis said. “DCPS waits until criminal charges are resolved before taking action at the school district level.”
School officials said there were 70 attacks by students against staff, making an assault by a school employee almost as common as one by a child.
“Wow,” said Judith Sandalow, executive director of the Children’s Law Center, which represents hundreds of at-risk D.C. students, upon learning of the 64 cases.
“We see a number of classrooms where kids have diagnosed emotional issues that are affecting their learning,” Sandalow said. “Putting all those kids together without a well-trained teacher who isn’t getting enough support is a recipe for disaster.”
Jason Kamras, chief of human capital for D.C. Public Schools, said he was not prepared to comment on the cases during an interview focused on this year’s teacher evaluation ratings. More than 200 teachers were fired Friday for failing to effectively teach their students, according to the evaluation tool.
Nathan Saunders, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, said teachers aren’t receiving enough support to de-escalate a potentially violent situation.
He warned that of his 4,200 teachers, the number of proven cases was small — but violence was still not the answer.
“The lack of professional development, the lack of support for students with complex issues, and increased class sizes are all common-sense indicators that are on the uptick,” Saunders said. “So the chances of more violent interactions, looking forward, are increased.”
At a meeting of the D.C. Council’s special committee on school safety and truancy earlier this year, residents discussed how dangerous school atmospheres keep students from showing up. Police picked up D.C. students for truancy 3,700 times in the first semester of the school year alone.
“It’s completely understandable that a child would want to avoid a dangerous or violent situation,” Sandalow said. “It’s scary to think of that happening within their actual classroom.”
