We have fire drills and bus drills and tornado drills for a reason – in an emergency situation, quick, proper response is the key to safety. But emergencies often cause us to panic, which is the enemy of a calm response. So we drill these situations until the response is so automatic we will do it even if we are panicked and scared.
Student fights can sometimes cause the same panicked reactions. Quick action is called for, but our stress level is so high that clear thinking is often difficult. So today we’ll drill a little bit for this situation.
What should you do if you are the nearest adult when a student fight breaks out?
First – follow your policy. Which means that today you will go look up your policy on breaking up fights and read it? Although no written policy can ever give you the exact method to handle every fight, you will find general guidelines concerning how to contact help, what to do with other nearby students, emergency calls, etc.
Second, assess whether you should go for help or send another nearby person. You will want to have at least two adults present as quickly as possible in any fight situation.
Third, assess whether you can try to break up the fight or whether you should wait for someone else. (Consider any guidance your district policy gives on this.) You are not obligated to put yourself in harm’s way. On the other hand, if you choose to try to break the fight up yourself, you may use only the force that is reasonable necessary to do so. In other words, there may physical contact and possibly even injury to a student caused by your attempt to break up the fight. You will not be in trouble if the injury or force was incidental to and reasonably necessary to end the fight and protect the students from each other.
Fourth, write a report on the incident as soon afterwards as possible. It should include facts concerning time and place, witnesses, and anything you observed leading up to the fight. It should also include a description of your own actions. Stick with facts that you are personally aware of, or clearly identify the source of additional information.
If you are ever injured during a fight, be sure to file an injury report with the school for worker’s compensation purposes.
I worry about fights breaking out in my class. I teach a pe/fine arts dance class in our cafeteria. I have between 38 and 42 students in each class, and there is just one of me. Does anyone know the legal limit of students per 1 teacher? This seems like way to many for just one classroom.
Posted by: Misti | August 18, 2009 at 07:35 AM