LORAIN, Ohio — Just a day after Lorain City Schools spoke out about allegations that teachers at Southview Middle School encouraged two students to fight at school on May 9, 2022, the Lorain Education Association (LEA) responded to their statement.
On Wednesday, Lorain City School Superintendent Dr. Jeff Graham said the following:
“Lorain City Schools is entrusted to provide safe, caring environments for our students, staff, and all who enter our schools. Although we’re still engaged in due process, I really struggle with what I’ve seen in these videos, and I want to make it clear that anyone who violates our promise to take care of the children of Lorain is unwelcome here in our district.”
On Thursday, July 14, the LEA expressed its disappointment in the District's statement and how it portrayed the teachers.
"The Lorain Education Association is extremely disappointed in the district’s decision to portray these educators in the manner they apparently have before their personnel cases have even been resolved. These two educators have been fully cooperative in the district’s investigation as well as that of Child Protective Services, which found allegations against these educators were unsubstantiated," Lorain Education Association President Julie Garcia says, “District administrators, unfortunately, have chosen to scapegoat these well-respected educators who have dedicated their lives and careers to serving their students and ensuring their well-being.”
The statement from LEA continued to advocate on behalf of the teacher's privacy as well as more guidelines and training for teachers in the district.
"Intervening in a physical altercation where a staff member would potentially need to restrain or otherwise put their hands on a student requires specialized Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) training. Across the state, educators are specifically instructed not to intervene in a fight if they do not have that training.
Lorain City Schools never offered that training or for that matter, any specific guidance as to how to handle student fights, to educators. LEA has no reason to believe that the district would not be equally as likely to pursue discipline against teachers for physically intervening in this situation; LEA is uncertain because, again, administration has provided the teachers of the district no guidance as to their expectations of how teachers should handle such unpredictable and high-intensity situations.
While LEA continues to advocate for these two teachers to ensure their due process rights are preserved, we also are calling on the administration to provide clearer guidelines and training for all educators when they return next month. The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we need the support of the district to ensure we can effectively deliver on that mission.”
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Dec. 9, 2021.