Nebraska LB595 - Letter to my Senator

http://www.omaha.com/news/legislature/bill-would-let-nebraska-teachers-use-force-to-deal-with/article_7ed41268-ddf8-11e6-ad26-db051aec2c4a.html

http://dataomaha.com/legislature/bills/LB595
LB 595: Provide for the use of physical force or physical restraint or removal from a class in response to student behavior

Greetings, Senator X,

I'm writing in regards to the recently introduced LB 595 that would allow Nebraska teachers to use physical force to stop unruly students. I see you are on the Education Committee with Senator Groene who introduced the bill.

I don't have children in school, but have nephews enrolled in schools in Omaha. I conferred with several teacher friends for a bit of background to judge my initial reactions to the bill as I read it in the Omaha World Herald article, and then further with the actual bill.

I'm told currently if a student misbehaves, the teacher has to take the rest of the students out of the classroom. I can see how this could be disruptive to the learning environment and inspire some sort of legislation to allow teachers more options.

However, from what I learned from friends in education, physical holds to restrain violent people require special training and two people to perform the hold. I also learned that many schools are understaffed and do not have extra aides in the room, however needed they may be. I'm also told students of color are disciplined disproportionately.

I fear an already-violent student would not respond well to physical interaction and more harm could occur. It seems like it would escalate the situation when the goal is to deescalate. And that additional injuries could occur for students and/or teacher which would bring about more concerns for liability.

I'm also nervous about the lines in the bill that say teachers are free from legal or administrative action and any such physical interaction wouldn't be deemed 'corporal punishment'. Especially when reading the example of the teacher from North Platte who dragged a third grader by the ankles 93 feet down a hallway, there are times when teachers can act excessively and SHOULD undergo examination specific to the incident.

I believe more elaboration is needed in this bill to make it more effective and fair. IF teachers are allowed to use physical force, and it gets out of hand, they should expect to answer for it the same as anyone else. They should definitely receive special training to ensure their safety and that of the students. I do not envision a person of my small stature being effective in a physical altercation and do not think we should expect teachers to do so. I understand this bill is about letting them have the option without worrying about ramifications. We just need to ensure it's not a free-for-all and that excessive force is penalized as needed to keep everyone safe. The bill seems too open-ended as it was introduced.

On a somewhat related note, I'm not sure if meditation and mindfulness has been introduced into Nebraska schools, but I do know of several instances in which it has helped reduce violence in large schools in our country, such as in Baltimore. Kiran Bedi of the Indian Police implemented it years ago in the worst prison with great results. I watched a great documentary about it a few years ago: Doing Time, Doing Vipassana.

I offer my concerns as a member of your district in hopes that we create safe, effective bills that take a look at possible ramifications.

Thank you!