A survey released this week by the American Psychological Association says that nearly half of teachers and a third of administrators said they are planning or want to leave their current positions due to concerns about school climate and safety. A third of teachers reported at least one incident of verbal harassment or a threat of violence from a student, and nearly half of administrators said they had been harassed or threatened by a parent. A significant portion of survey respondents said these statements caused them to want to quit their jobs—and sometimes even leave their professions.
For example, teachers and administrators in middle schools saw the highest rates of harassment in the survey, with 37 percent reporting verbal abuse and threats of violence from students and 30 percent from parents. While the majority of those surveyed were from public schools, teachers and administrators in private schools also reported similar rates of threats and verbal harassment. However, most of those statements in private schools came from parents rather than students.
The report is available here.
