In an article entitled “City special-ed lapses increase school violence,” Martha Woodall and Susan Snyder of the Philadelphia (PA, US) Inquirer describe how the local education agency’s failure to provide appropriate services to a student with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders played a role in that student’s beating of a teacher. On 23 February 2007 in a hallway outside Frank Burd’s algebra class, student Donte Boykin pushed his teacher (Mr. Burd) into another student, James Footman. Mr. Footman punched Mr. Burd in the face repeatedly, and Mr. Burd fell, breaking his neck.
In their article, which I see as an example of excellent journalism, Ms. Woodall and Ms. Snyder report an important angle on this story. Here’s their lead:
Frank Burd and James Footman never should have crossed paths at Germantown High School that February morning.
If the school had done its job, Footman, a ninth-grade special-education student with a long history of disruptive behavior and emotional problems, would have been miles away at a disciplinary school, as he had agreed three months earlier, getting help to control his anger.
Based on documents obtained during a trial and interviews with family members, Ms. Woodall and Ms. Snyder give a detailed account of how, since early childhood, Mr. Footman’s special education needs were not met. It is not a pretty story.
Schools do a great disservice to students and teachers when they fail to provide needed services. Too often, educators prevent prevention (as Jim Kauffman noted in his 1999 article, “How we prevent the prevention of emotional and behavioral disorders” in Exceptional Children, 65, 448-468). In the name of “inclusion,” schools keep students from receiving needed services. Because of philosophical disagreements with behaviorism, teachers refuse to employ effective, non-punitive behavior management procedures.
One can review the article by Ms. Woodall and Ms. Snyder as well as related stories at these links:
- City special-ed lapses increase school violence (the story from which I’ve quoted);
- Teen admits attack that left teacher with a broken neck by Andrew Maykuth;
- Phila. schools struggle to treat behavioral cases, a follow-up story by Ms. Snyder and Ms. Woodall
- The Inquirer’s index of stories about violence in Philadelphia schools.
I do not think teachers refuse to try behavioral approaches in the classroom; I just think the general educator is not trained in this area. I strongly feel that if we want to see a unified school system, then we are going to have to require dual endorsements in general and special education.