Fresno teacher says she doesn’t feel safe at school as campus security debate intensifies
A Fresno Unified teacher said she “does not feel safe” in her classroom due, at least in part, to the district’s poor communication and a lack of training and planning.
Hoover High teacher Sara Reyes made the comments in an open letter to FUSD Superintendent Bob Nelson that the Fresno Teachers Association posted online Wednesday.
The letter outlines Reyes’ recent experience with a student who she discovered had a history of threatening violence against students and teachers. She wrote that the district did not brief her on his behavioral history or equip her to handle it.
In recent weeks, classroom safety in Fresno has been front of mind for many, following an incident at Pyle Elementary in which a parent barged into a third-grade classroom at the start of the school day and threatened a teacher.
The debates were renewed as the district responded to last week’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two adults dead.
“One particularly concerning (disciplinary) entry was a threat about killing people on campus with a knife. Yet, this was deemed ‘not credible,’” Reyes wrote. “Since the time of that ‘not credible’ threat, his behavior has not changed.”
Reyes wrote that she was “not made aware of (the student’s) violent tendencies before he entered my class.”
“I was given no training on how best to manage this student or know what triggers his behavior,” Reyes wrote. “There is no clear behavioral plan or any indication that further disruption would increase in consequence.
“Ultimately, the result is that I do not feel safe in my own classroom.”
Nelson responded to Reyes’ letter in a comment on the post, writing that the district would discuss the return of uniformed police officers to the district’s middle school campuses at the next board meeting June 15.
On Thursday, an FUSD spokesperson said the district was examining current and future investments in campus safety.
“Unfortunately there is no panacea and that means we have to confront such complex problems from many angles, with many solutions,” FUSD’s Nikki Henry told the Education Lab in an email.
But FTA president Manuel Bonilla said district leadership missed the point of Reyes’ letter.
“I would invite (Nelson) to reread it,” Bonilla said. “We know that the discussion and conversation about police officers is one that definitely should be had. But that’s not what the essence of the letter is about. The essence is about the day-to-day realities of our classrooms and the lack of support and proactive planning that is taking place in our district to support those classrooms.”
What changes are community members asking for?
A little over an hour after Reyes’ letter was posted Wednesday, Fresno Unified’s school board convened its regular meeting. With a packed agenda honoring student achievements as the school year comes to a close, several parents waited over four hours to voice their concerns about their students’ safety in public comments.
Some advocated for increased police presence on campuses, while others urged the district to look at alternative investments.
Following the testimony of one of her young children, FUSD parent Marycela Pacheco took to the podium, calling on the board to address “the elephant in the room.”
“You have your police entourage at the board meetings for you board members to feel safe,” she said. “Yet our children go to school with open campuses, unlocked gates and doors (and) potential threats to students and staff alike.”
Reyes’ letter also calls for further action and transparency from the district, particularly regarding students’ disciplinary history.
She described violent fights she’s witnessed among students, writing that if her own child were attacked in such a way, she would want the minimum punishment to be expulsion.
“School should be a place of learning and a place to feel safe. Keeping these students in our schools prohibits this,” she wrote.
Reyes also urged the district to explore alternative paths for some students outside of the traditional classroom, such as online learning.
“We need to provide supports for the students that need them, including alternative programs that require students to meet standards and look for work opportunities to improve lives not just for that student, but also for all students and teachers by creating a stronger and safer school environment,” she wrote.
How has FUSD responded so far?
In the district’s response to Reyes’ letter, Henry defended the FUSD’s handling of student discipline and campus security.
“First, there seems to be a narrative as if Fresno Unified does not take action and use student discipline, when in fact our district suspends and expels students at a higher rate than districts across the state,” she wrote. “We do not say that as a point of pride, as we know the significant negative impacts of expulsion on the potential trajectory of a student’s life. We also know that while some excelled in distance learning, others did not.”
She also shared that current safety policies in the district include keeping all gates locked during the school day except for one.
Trustees will consider a contract to bring full-time school resource officers to middle schools, which Henry wrote is an improvement from part-time officers in past contracts.
June 15 is the last board meeting of the 2021-22 school year.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
