Governing – If you ask teachers and principals in West Virginia, they’ll tell you — the kids are not all right. Elementary school children are acting up more, school personnel say, with behaviors ranging from disruptive to violent, and teachers, parents and legislators are trying to figure out how to handle it.
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Drew Villani, principal of both the Bethlehem Elementary and the West Liberty Elementary schools in West Virginia’s Ohio County, says he’s witnessed elementary and middle school incidents “related to defiance and disrespect, refusal to participate or complete tasks, abusive and profane language, throwing items, escaping/hiding under desks, and occasionally physically trying to hurt peers or staff.”
It’s hard to say how widespread the issue is. National figures suggest a long-term downtick in student-on-teacher violence. But, anecdotally, teachers say behavior has gotten worse, and nationwide, most schools reported an increase in students’ socioemotional and behavioral challenges in 2022. Seventy-one percent of West Virginia Education Association members said in a November 2023 survey that student behavior was a “very” serious problem; nearly all said it was at least somewhat serious. More than a quarter said they’d never felt this burned out before — not even during COVID-19. When those considering an early departure from the field were asked what possible improvements would induce them to stay, one of the top three fixes they chose was “improve[ments in] school safety and student discipline issues.”
