Violence Against Teachers: Who Is Responsible for Keeping Teachers Safe?
Location
Room 211
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Round Table
Abstract
Teachers are not held in the same esteemed light as those who preceded them a century or two before now. Evidence of this is provided by the fact that teachers have been targets of violent acts for quite some time. Through all of the turmoil, an important question has emerged: Who is responsible for keeping teachers safe? This research explores the history of workplace protection legislation as well as incidents involving violence against teachers across the nation. Outcomes and litigation from said cases will aid in determining the answer to the question. Several state statutes will also be examined.
After reviewing the incidents and the statistics, it is certain that there is a need for some measures to be taken to protect teachers from violent acts. Ideally, OSHA would provide the perfect umbrella of protection. However, since government employers are exempt from the legislation, there has to be an alternate method used to protect teachers. Therefore, states have the task of instituting teacher protection statutes. There are laws in place to protect teachers, but they mostly deal with protection from job loss, economic loss, lawsuits, and protection of academic freedom.
Keywords
Violence against teachers, Assault against teachers, School environment, Teacher protection, School climate
Recommended Citation
Littles, Steven, "Violence Against Teachers: Who Is Responsible for Keeping Teachers Safe?" (2014). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 80.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2014/2014/80
Violence Against Teachers: Who Is Responsible for Keeping Teachers Safe?
Room 211
Teachers are not held in the same esteemed light as those who preceded them a century or two before now. Evidence of this is provided by the fact that teachers have been targets of violent acts for quite some time. Through all of the turmoil, an important question has emerged: Who is responsible for keeping teachers safe? This research explores the history of workplace protection legislation as well as incidents involving violence against teachers across the nation. Outcomes and litigation from said cases will aid in determining the answer to the question. Several state statutes will also be examined.
After reviewing the incidents and the statistics, it is certain that there is a need for some measures to be taken to protect teachers from violent acts. Ideally, OSHA would provide the perfect umbrella of protection. However, since government employers are exempt from the legislation, there has to be an alternate method used to protect teachers. Therefore, states have the task of instituting teacher protection statutes. There are laws in place to protect teachers, but they mostly deal with protection from job loss, economic loss, lawsuits, and protection of academic freedom.
