BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
UPDATE, MAY 27 — The Palo Alto Unified School District will hire a team of “behavioral intervention coaches” following a fight with a student in a classroom at JLS Middle School that sent a teacher and a school employee to the hospital.
“The unfortunate incidents involving injuries to staff, along with other impactful events throughout this school year, have compelled us to take swift action for the coming year,” Superintendent Don Austin said in his Friday update. The district will add 12 new behavioral intervention coaches next year so that each school has one, Austin said.
The new positions will cost the district $89,000 in salary benefits each, for a total cost of just over $1 million annually, according to Amanda Boyce, a director of special education. The new positions will bring the district’s behavior team from 19 to 31 employees. They work directly with students and help train teachers on how to intervene when someone isn’t behaving appropriately.
On April 27, a 17-year-old student was arrested for posting a note on a classroom door threatening to shoot up Palo Alto High School.
May 1, a 16-year-old was arrested for arson after he burned a classroom at the Cubberley Community Center, destroying specialized equipment for students with special needs.
And on May 5, an 11-year-old student hit a teacher in the head with a folding chair and punched a second employee in the face multiple times during a class at JLS Middle School, according to police.
One employee said she suffered a concussion, a bump on her head and back pain, and the other said she was bruised on her arm and hurting on her face, police said.The incident boiled over at a meeting on Tuesday night when Palo Alto High School math teacher Daniel Nguyen said that the district should remove any student who attacks an employee.
“It’s unfortunate that it took a teacher suffering an unimaginable, catastrophic loss to get the district’s attention about staff and student safety,” he said.
The new behavioral intervention coaches aren’t the only change that Austin announced yesterday.
The district is also providing a new safety training for employees next year after the unions said they didn’t like how employees were trained to handle fights, Austin said.
Therapy services will be added at Fletcher Middle School, alongside existing programs at Green Middle School, Duveneck Elementary and Palo Alto High School.
At their June meeting, board members will consider approving a curriculum called Second Step, which will teach elementary school kids how to manage their emotions, set goals and build positive relationships.
And the district is hiring Josh Ochs, a speaker and author who teaches people about social media through his company Smart Social, Austin said.
EARLIER STORY, MAY 25 — A teacher and an employee at JLS Middle School in Palo Alto were hospitalized after a student hit one of them in the head with a chair and punched the other in the face multiple times during a class, police said.
The student is younger than 12. Because of his age and the crimes alleged, no criminal charges are allowed under state law, Capt. James Reifschneider said.
Officers took an informational report only, and the district won’t say what happened to the student because discipline records are confidential.
School administrators called police on May 5 at 3:15 p.m. to report the assault, which happened that morning during class, police said.
Both of the employees are women, one in her 30s and the other in her 20s.
The employee in her 30s told police that the student struck her in the head with a folding chair and kicked her in the stomach and hip.
She said she suffered a concussion, a bump on her head and back and hip pain, police said.
The employee in her 20s was punched in the face multiple times and bit on the arm, resulting in bruising and pain to her face, police said.
The student’s parents told police that their son suffered swelling, scratches, bruising and pain on one arm, police said.
The incident didn’t come to light until a board meeting on Tuesday night, when Palo Alto High School math teacher Daniel Nguyen said that the district should remove any student who attacks an employee.
“It’s unfortunate that it took a teacher suffering an unimaginable, catastrophic loss to get the district’s attention about staff and student safety,” he said.
Nguyen’s comments were followed by loud cheers, claps and whistles from a packed audience.
The violence in the classroom came after a series of crimes at Palo Alto schools: In the span of two weeks, different students hospitalized a teacher, set fire to a classroom and threatened a shooting.
A 17-year-old student allegedly posted a note on a classroom door threatening to shoot up Palo Alto High School on April 25, when there was a final test scheduled later that day. The boy was arrested two days later for making felony criminal threats, police said.
On May 1, a 16-year-old boy was arrested for arson after he burned a classroom at the Cubberley Community Center, destroying specialized equipment for students with special needs. He also lit a table on fire at Ohlone Elementary School, police said.
Every school in Palo Alto has one or two kids they can’t evict who they know will eventually hurt someone. Every remaining kid will probably breath a sigh of relief when that kid is gone. Everyone loses when violent kids stay in schools.
As a parent with a child in special Ed at JLS I am absolutely shocked to hear so many assumptions being made regarding the intentions of this student. This is the fault of PAUSD! I personally sent emails to all department heads and the super regarding red flag behavior which I was witnessing first hand when my child was being dropped off by the bus earlier in the year. I made it very clear that something needed to be set in place immediately to provide teachers and bus drivers the support they need and reevaluate the possibility that this child may require a different learning environment. The results of this were classroom remodeling, staff training, and a behavioral specialist to work with this child. I have no idea what happened regarding this incident and only discovered about it in the news. Because a child with Autism who does not speak does not mean they cannot communicate. We have access to resources like PECS which provide children a tool to communicate with pictures. Why don’t we place value and importance in tools for communication for those without a voice? Why is that when you are in High School and don’t go to class in their Continuation Program the district will for you to go to private schools like Mid Pen or Palo Alto Prep, yet we can find a place suitable school for a child who is clearly overstimulated? To assume that this child’s response was calculated intentional or even preventable and demands punishment is ridiculous. At what point are you going to ask what are We doing to exasperate the situation? Food for Thought….this child was so uncomfortable riding the bus he had to be completely restrained
What happened to this boy to make him think throwing a chair and kicking a teacher in the head and stomach was OK? The teacher had a miscarriage … and you can be sure that she’ll sue PAUSD and perhaps the kids parent or parents.
The boy has autism, I think. I go to the school.
I understand this kid has a record of violent incidents, and if so, what was the administration thinking when they let him remain in school. Even though he’s 11, he could have killed somebody! Heads should definitely roll.
This kid doesn’t belong in a classroom. If he has a history of violent incidents, causing a miscarriage should be the last straw.
For reference, I attended a 7th thru 12th grade high school with about 3000 students. It was in the mid west and in the mid 1960’s. There was never a case of a student assaulting a teacher. I sailed through 6 years of civility and respect for the teachers.
The teachers need to be given Tasers to deal with kids like this. A Taser is both a self defense tool and an educational tool. The student will get an education when Tased about respecting adults.
A JLS teacher used to show up at the Mitchell Park dog park bruised and with bite marks complaining that the administration consistently refused to do anything to protect her or the other teacher from the boy who was bigger and stronger than they were. We kept suggesting options and were told that those had been suggested and rejected.
Since she died about 12 years ago, this problem isn’t new, just one that’s shamefully been allowed to go on for way too long.
Where are our “leaderss” since “health and safety” is supposed to be ca 2023 ity priority??
I’m thinking on the lines of after a couple of incidents, parents should be made to pay for a liability insurance if their kids are to remain the school system. My son works with autistic children and there are numerous incidents. But nothing is changed. Accountibility. The law says parents are liable.
Where are this boy’s parents? After the earlier incidents they should have dealt with this. I know liberals won’t want to hear this, but if you spare the rod, you’ll spoil the child. In my case, as a child, it was a couple of whippings with a leather belt that got me to respect my elders. Discipline is showing your love for a child.
I believe this boy is special needs but even in that case I don’t understand why the parents continue to send their kid to a school where he has been violent towards students and staff. I understand that it’s the district’s responsibility to educate our children but when does it become the parents job to keep others safe from their own child? It seems very neglectful on the district and the parents. I also read that the district transferred the boy to Greene. If this is true the parents are okay with their son continuing to assault people and the district is okay with putting innocent people in harms way.
What do you think the parents should do? The child is legally obligated to be in school. Unless they’re very wealthy, they likely cannot afford a private school for special needs kids – those are VERY expensive. The parents don’t really have a choice here. The district needs to, potentially, send the child elsewhere.
Do they expel students anymore? Is that too harsh for a boy like this?
I wonder what made this kid snap the way he did. Not saying anything negative about the staff, I’m thinking did another kid trigger him or bully him? It’s sad and ashamed that it came down to a tragic occurrence. PAUSD needs to re-evaluate how to handle many cases better. They have failed the kids, parents, and staff over and over.
As a parent with a child in special Ed at JLS I am absolutely shocked to hear so many assumptions being made regarding the intentions of this student. This is the fault of PAUSD! I personally sent emails to all department heads and the super regarding red flag behavior which I was witnessing first hand when my child was being dropped off by the bus earlier in the year. I made it very clear that something needed to be set in place immediately to provide teachers and bus drivers the support they need and reevaluate the possibility that this child may require a different learning environment. The results of this were classroom remodeling, staff training, and a behavioral specialist to work with this child. I have no idea what happened regarding this incident and only discovered about it in the news.
Because a child with Autism who does not speak does not mean they cannot communicate. We have access to resources like PECS which provide children a tool to communicate with pictures. Why don’t we place value and importance in tools for communication for those without a
voice? Why is that when you are in High School and don’t go to class in their Continuation Program the district will for you to go to private schools like Mid Pen or Palo Alto Prep, yet we can find a place suitable school for a child who is clearly overstimulated? To assume that this child’s response was calculated intentional or even preventable and demands punishment is ridiculous. At what point are you going to ask what are We doing to exasperate the situation? Food for Thought….this child was so uncomfortable riding the bus he had to be completely restrained
It’s sad but every parent of a special ed student acts like they’re the victim. And, as victims, they deserve special rights others don’t have. And as victims they are more virtuous than the rest of us. Stop acting like victims and your kid will pick up your cues and become more resilient.
If one of the teachers suffered a miscarriage, as some of the above comments indicated, then the boy should be charged with murder. No criminal charges is a slap in the face to the teachers and their families.
My opinion is that the kid should be punished. He caused a miscarriage, I get that he’s neurodivergent and that it’s difficult to manage, but come on. If someone in essence kills someone there should be some sort of punishment
The update doesn’t answer the question many, including JLS teachers, are asking: at what point does PAUSD suspend a violent cstudent/
I too am appalled the the parents of disabled kids are playing the victim card rather than acknowledging responsibility.
Also, I noticed a GoFundMe page has popped up to fund the teacher’s medical expenses. That raises the question: is PAUSD NOT covering the medical expenses and does the payment-per-student funds it gets begin to cover that amount?
I had a friend who worked with disabled kids at JLS and she’d routinely show up at the Mitchell Park dog park with bruises and bite marks. When asked what the school was doing to protect her, the answer was always the sane: NOTHING.
This was at least 12 years ago — othe time since my friend died — and an absurd amount of time for this to be allowed to go on.
Please stop making assumptions about parents with special needs. Calling us players of the victim card is so unkind. Please let us focus on what we can do and not slandering those we do not know or grouping us together. Segregating. Seek clarification for that which you do not understand. I am not a victim but an advocate. I am a seasoned alumni myself with the PAUSD I am also a teacher who has probably taught many of your children. Please be mindful of your words as they can do more harm that good.
I watched my friend show up bruised and bitten for years. Where were the parents supporting her when the large JLS student kept repeatedly harming her and the administration did nothing?
While I sympathize with your plight and situation, it would be nice if you issued a statement of support for the injured teacher(s) and an explanation of what you as parents are doing to prevent further injury to students and staff. It might help us understand.
Yes, segregation is bad for the autistic kid, but it’s a lot safer and cheaper for everyone else.
At some point, the needs of the normal kids, teachers, and staff need to take precedence over the needs of the special needs kids.
Everyone who brings a child into the world is responsible for that child. Don’t make your problem everyone else’s problem.
Maybe the district’s workers comp insurance has lapsed? By law, all employers are required to have such insurance to cover all injuries suffered by employees on the job — so it’s puzzling that there would be such a GoFundMe site.
Suspend? He should be expelled, accompanied by an announcement over the JLS loudspeaker identifying the name of the expelled kid so everyone there knows he is gone and can breathe a sigh of relief.
Our teachers need to be supported and not have their capabilities questioned. They need to stop being forced to use their bodies as human shields for the sake of keeping the other children safe. The fact that this was not resolved during the start of the year when it was brought to the district is unacceptable. In my email I said: “I feel that the school district is walking a fine line between accommodating a student and being held accountable for an unsafe and violent environment. We are prepared to address this situation in whatever way we can and with whatever resources are required” We need to stop allowing the district to second guess our teacher’s competency and LISTEN to their professional opinions. Children who behave in such a way need to be placed in a school which specializes in behavior Challanges like Esther B Clark.
Our teachers need to be supported and not have their capabilities questioned. They need to stop being forced to use their bodies as human shields for the sake of keeping the other children safe. The fact that this was not resolved during the start of the year when it was brought to the districts attention that the classroom had bemy child was hiding in class and
Honestly, having kids with special needs go to a public school is a disservice to both the special needs child and the other kids. The special needs kid probably doesn’t feel at home, and there’s going to be less money going to programs that benefit the entire school, not just kids with specially needs. Parents shouldn’t be trying to assimilate their child if they truly care about them. I’m not saying send them to an insane asylum, but a school made for them.
Schools cost money, and the vast majority of parents (even in Palo Alto!) cannot afford a school for special needs kids. You can’t blame this on the parents — unless you really want to blame the parents for not being wealthy enough.
It is the school district’s obligation to pay for this child’s education. If this child isn’t safe at the school, then they need to arrange for a different school for him.
Most likely, the reason that school district doesn’t is that it is cheaper to keep them in PAUSD (unless, of course, something like this happens). Sending him elsewhere means less money going to programs that benefit the entire school — but it’s the right thing to do.
This incident underscores the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for both students and staff. It is crucial for schools to have effective strategies in place to prevent and address such incidents, ensuring the well-being and safety of everyone involved. The incident will likely prompt a review of school policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future and ensure a supportive learning environment for all students.