Brockton students need support, not the National Guard
Recent media coverage of school safety issues at Brockton High School has included sensationalist and problematic assertions and blatant misrepresentations of state law from both School Committee members and school staff. While there are clearly concerns around safety in the school district, casting young people, many of whom are impacted by trauma and mental health concerns, as problems to be controlled rather than youth in need of support and services is not the answer.
For the student body in Brockton, where the School Committee recently discovered a $14 million district shortfall, to be scapegoated for the failures of the district is misguided and wrong. Brockton Public Schools laid off 130 teachers and failed to fill empty positions, leaving students to arrive to their classes only to find no teacher, or to be left to sit in the cafeteria during class time. To then turn around and blame students for the mistakes of adults is disingenuous and dangerous.
This misplacement of responsibility could lead to the increased use of control tactics like policing, arrests, and suspensions or expulsions, which may push more Brockton High students, 88 percent of whom are people of color, into the school-toprison pipeline.
There needs to be an honest conversation about school safety in Brockton. Unfortunately, the current dialogue is troubling in that it frames students at the school as problems to be managed rather than kids who need support, guidance, and care. The harsh tone is based upon a false dichotomy: come down hard with punishment or sit back and allow chaos. There is a broad middle ground between those two poles that cannot continue to be ignored. True school safety is about creating a climate of support and compassion, where students and staff feel valued, heard, and cared for.
A core element of school safety is ensuring that young people impacted by trauma and mental and behavioral health concerns have adequate support to address those underlying needs which, when unaddressed, can lead to significant struggles and misbehavior. The Legislature recognized this last session with “An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health,” requiring the implementation of “school- or district-wide models to re-engage students in the learning process … such as positive behavioral interventions and supports models and trauma sensitive learning models,” along with alternative remedies that address behavior outside of school exclusion, including but not limited to models like mediation, conflict resolution, restorative justice, and collaborative problem solving.
Whether the district has implemented these models and practices and, more importantly, done so with fidelity, has been left out of the discourse around school safety in Brockton. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the attorney general should consider reviewing the district’s compliance with this law given the cited concerns and provide the necessary oversight and guidance to ensure that these practices are implemented in Brockton Public Schools immediately. Fairly compensated and supported teachers and staff trained to implement legislation passed through a democratic process is the answer, not the call from some Brockton politicians for the National Guard to be brought in.
This focus on alternative and trauma-informed approaches is especially important because they provide a pathway to improved school climate and debunk the idea that there is nothing schools can do in the face of student conflict. The solution to the current situation is the development of a positive and supportive school environment. This includes holistic care and integrated wraparound services that include the presence of parents and members of the community in the schools, which members of the Brockton community have been calling for and working toward for a long time. School administrators could help by welcoming community support and input when students need it most. Solutions must also include the voices of students themselves who hold answers to the approaches that make them feel safe and supported.
Brockton and school districts across the Commonwealth need to embrace — through funding, staffing, and faithful implementation — models that are developmentally appropriate, help students learn how to handle conflict in a more positive manner, and address student mental and behavioral health needs so that students can thrive both socially and academically.
The current dialogue is troubling in that it frames students at the school as problems to be managed rather than kids who need support, guidance, and care.
Michaela Lauture is an organizer with the Brockton Education Justice Alliance. Leon Smith is executive director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice. Marlies Spanjaard is director of Education Advocacy for the EdLaw Project of the Committee for Public Counsel Services.