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Black female teacher stands next to a table of students in the classroom during a discussion

Educator Safety

The Nature of Educator Violence
Making schools safer requires community effort that includes educators, students, families, administrators, and education unions.

Introduction

Addressing school violence and safety should include the entire school ecology. Educator demographics, community factors, and school characteristics—like urbanicity and school climate—play roles in teacher susceptibility to direct acts of violence (McMahon, Worrell, et al., 2024). These safety concerns are not limited to violence committed by students; the APA Task Force’s research demonstrated that colleagues, parents, and administrators are also aggressors against educators. For example, after COVID-19, one-quarter of teachers reported physical violence from a parent, colleague, or administrator (McMahon, Worrell, et al., 2024).

The 2024 NEA survey also indicated that 56 percent of educators surveyed were concerned with a lack of respect from parents and/or the public (SSRS, 2024). Ninety percent of teachers and 85 percent of education support professionals (ESPs) Education support professionals (ESPs) represent school support staff across nine career families: clerical services; custodial and maintenance; food services; health and student services; paraeducators; security workers; skilled trades; technical services; and transportation services. Go to reference  working in pre-K–12 education believed that making schools safe for students and staff should be a high or top priority for an education association or union, according to NEA survey data.

  • 3 Education support professionals (ESPs) represent school support staff across nine career families: clerical services; custodial and maintenance; food services; health and student services; paraeducators; security workers; skilled trades; technical services; and transportation services.

Recommendations for Improving Educator Safety

Provide ongoing training and support to educators and school leaders on school safety and prevention strategies, including de-escalation, trauma-informed practices, restorative justice approaches, social-emotional learning, behavior management, and cultural competency.
Co-develop policies with educators, students, and families to establish shared understanding and commitment to addressing responses to violence in developmentally and culturally appropriate ways.
Provide research-based prevention resources to meet all students’ academic, social, and mental health needs.
Limit or eliminate the use of zero-tolerance responses and implement alternative strategies, such as conflict resolution, mediation, and trauma-informed approaches.
Prioritize policies that advocate for funding and resources for educator training in violence prevention and response and positive behavior support strategies.
Advocate for organizing and collective bargaining efforts that expand options for employee assistance programs and additional benefits to help address physical and psychological injury risks within the school environment.
Support the creation and work of locally developed violence-prevention committees that include administrators, educators, families, and, where developmentally appropriate, students, and ensure that existing health and safety committees incorporate violence prevention within their work.
Black male coach in a red shirt sits on bleachers outside counseling a white male students in a green shirt
Safe School Culture

Promoting Positive Behavior Supports

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Keeping Educators and Students Safe

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Female teacher with long ponytail walking down empty school hallway away from the camera. Hallway is lined with lockers
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Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
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