SARATOGA SPRINGS —Following a lengthy and sometimes contentious discussion, the Saratoga Springs School District Board of Education, during its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 12, asked School Superintendent Michael Patton, EdD, to provide a report on the number of incidents of physical assaults, bullying, and drugs, including vaping, that have occurred in the district during the past year.
The board additionally requested information on disciplinary action taken, trends, and an action plan to mitigate these issues. The data on physical assaults is to include those occurring on other students, teachers, Student Resource Officers, and staff.
Board of Education Trustee Amanda Ellithorpe of Saratoga Springs made the formal request for the school violence data from the school, adding to a request from Trustee Vice President John Brueggemann, PhD, for similar information on vaping in schools.
At the meeting, Ellithorpe said, “There seems to be some concern that this isn’t happening or isn’t to the degree as it’s being presented. The teachers’ union is upset. They are scared. Teachers came to me with a communication that their union sent to them... They are scared for their physical safety and their jobs if they speak up. If we are going to sit here and not act that this is important to keep everyone safe, then I don’t know what we are sitting here for.”
Trustee Dean A. Kolligian Jr., said, “I appreciate both comments from John and Amanda on their requests. I like Connie’s [Trustee Woytowich] idea to see where we can put dollars. We had someone in the audience say we are responsible to oversee the taxpayer’s dollars. These are ways to show that responsibility. If we can, in a perfect world, eliminate drugs, vaping, and violence in schools but it will cost ‘X,’ that is important for us to see.”
The rising concerns about school violence were heightened by a recent video that was shared on social media of two female students in a physical altercation inside a local school building as Student Resource Officer Glenn Barrett stepped in. When asked later about Officer Barrett’s condition, Dr. Patton said he understood that Officer Barrett sustained no serious injury and is continuing his duties as usual.
At the board meeting, Patton confirmed that the district regularly gathers data regarding violent or disruptive incidents, as well as incidents of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and cyberbullying, and submits it annually in the Violent and Disruptive Incident Report (VADIR) to comply with New York State reporting requirements. These reports are publicly available on the New York State Education Department’s website.
“I think all school districts are seeing a rise in student misconduct, not only in the Capital Region but in our state and country,” Dr. Patton said in a later interview. “Coming back to in-person learning after having been separated for close to a year and a half is a tremendous challenge for families and
school districts.”
On Tuesday, Dr. Patton told the board that the information could be summarized for the August board meeting, a draft action plan presented in the fall, and the full report finalized by the end of the year.
During the board meeting’s public hearing, parent Mark Crockett of Wilton said, “There’s been a trend of violence in our schools, most notably last week’s occurrence. That video allows us to get a glimpse of it. Is this a typical day for our students? We hear stories of students vaping in the bathrooms, smoking in the bathroom. Some students don’t want to go to the bathrooms anymore.”
In a later interview, Board President Anjeanette Emeka said, “Students and parents are upset and rightly passionate about safety in their schools. However, I’m not hearing it directly from people who have experienced it firsthand. I am not negating any child who says they can’t go to the restroom, but I have to hear directly from those seeing violent behavior themselves.”
Dr. Patton confirmed that there have been four incidents since December throughout the district, but he has only received one phone call about these types of concerns from a parent.
“Please call,” said Dr. Patton about his message to district parents. “Our board, administrators, and teachers are more than willing to help. They are working hard on getting to know what the kids need, to sit down and hear the challenges that they go through both in school and at home, being compassionate and understanding yet still holding them to high expectations when it comes to being mutually respectful. It’s a huge struggle. We know that parents, too, are working really hard to get back to life as normal.”
According to the Moving Saratoga Forward Facebook page, an email from Saratoga Springs Teacher Union President Timothy McGuiggan was sent earlier this week to educators in the district. The page stated that the email informed educators that SSTA leadership met with school district leadership “to discuss student behavior and discipline within our buildings.”
Additionally, according to the post, the leaders discussed “disrespectful and volatile incidents” and a “lack of administrative support when students are referred for discipline.”
The post stated that the union will “continue to make this a top priority” and that addressing the issues “… needs to be a joint effort that does not result in finger-pointing or playing the blame game.”
McGuiggan could not be reached for confirmation and comment in time before the publishing deadline.
