School violence has been in the spotlight during the past few months with stabbings, fights and threats in many Massachusetts schools. This comes in the wake of the pandemic and a shift in the way students are disciplined.
Many kids are struggling with their social-emotional health, peer pressure and the influence of social media. In some cases, this is impacting our schools at a time when there are staffing challenges and changes in school discipline.
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Dr. Meghan McCoy from the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center is teaching students how to navigate the complex world of social media. McCoy, who specializes in bullying and violence prevention says what’s happening online and on social media is impacting kids and our schools.
“I think what troubles me the most is the normalization of really horrible violent behaviors and I think also what always troubles me is hearing the people laugh and cheer it on,” said McCoy.
We’ve seen that violence playing out at schools across the state. Some of the violence is even recorded, then shared or posted online.
I think what troubles me the most is the normalization of really horrible violent behaviors and I think also what always troubles me is hearing the people laugh and cheer it on
Dr. Meghan McCoy, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center
An eighth-grade student from the Condon School in Boston was viciously attacked and brutally beaten, allegedly at the hands of a fellow student. She told the NBC10 Boston Investigators the student, “Had dragged me by the hair and used her fist and knees to start kicking me in the face. Everyone started cheering her on saying fight, fight, fight.”
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She also said two boys witnessed the attack, started laughing and began recording video.
“When we post outrageous stuff, it gets attention and so I think that’s a part of it too," McCoy said.
Former Chelsea Superintendent Mary Bourque heads up the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. She says the challenge is not unique to any one district.
“Superintendents are still struggling with students that have come back after the pandemic with dysregulation, social, emotional, mental health issues. We sent our students home for about two years and they were unable to practice peer relationships, self-control and to negotiate conflict," Bourque said.
In some cases, that’s causing more conflict in schools, but state data for the 10 largest school districts shows the percentage of students being disciplined has dropped in recent years. During that time, in 2022, the law was changed requiring schools to offer students alternatives to traditional discipline before they can be suspended or expelled.
“Our administrators do feel that sometimes it’s taking away their discretion and their judgment call to be able to keep a school healthy in terms of the culture, the climate and safety,” said Bourque.
Bourque added superintendents would like to have the option of stronger discipline if a student’s presence would cause harm or disrupt learning.
Brockton High School Principal Kevin McCaskill says students should come to school ready to learn, should be respectful, mindful of others and kind.
His high school has a student population of about 3,600 and is struggling with staffing levels. There was an uptick in violence earlier in the school year. McCaskill is working on restoring the peace and focused on student engagement, family involvement and progressive discipline if needed.
“We want to use the home as a partner so after we’ve exhausted certain steps and we have to resort to an in-house suspension. We can work collaboratively together to really see about the positive change we want to see in our young people,” McCaskill said.
“Anytime you’re talking about the social world of children disciplinary actions are important, boundaries are important. It’s also important to understand that those things can only do so much," McCoy said.
The state of our schools is so concerning for superintendents across the state that new legislation was filed to form a commission to study the future needs, but the legislation hasn’t moved forward. Some of the biggest challenges, according to superintendents, are budget shortfalls, staffing levels, social media and meeting the academic and social, emotional needs of students.
“We’re not coming together to talk the problem out holistically,” Bourque pointed out.
“You know you hear the conversations about all students count and they do but are we reaching all students? I say we’re not reaching all students so how do we work towards doing that?” McCaskill said.
The eighth grader who was a victim of violence would like to see change. She said school should be about safety, learning and people getting along.
This story is the second part of a series. Click here for part one.
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