What are we doing to protect our teachers?
That question was directed to Manitowoc School District Superintendent Mark Holzman earlier this week during a school board meeting.
The question became relevant after an attack on a teacher came to light thanks to a report from a concerned citizen.
As we reported yesterday, a special education instructor at Manitowoc Lincoln High School was attacked by a student and is facing charges.
We spoke with Manitowoc Police Chief Nick Reimer who said that the student suffered from mental health issues but was not a special needs student.
When asked what the MPSD is doing, Holzman said, “The students that enroll in Manitowoc Public School District come from our community. They are our kids. It’s our job to help them understand. In this case, we are talking about the most severe consequence we can give, you are now eliminated from school for a period of time.”
As for post punishment, “We then want to work on restorative practice,“ Holzman explained “Talk about what happened. What are we going to do if it happens again?”
Holzman went on to say that while he cannot guarantee that something like this won’t happen again, mitigation tactics are available.
“We have students who are stressed. Who are coming to use with significant needs,” Holzman said. “When they are behaving in that extreme area, we are going to do everything we can with our mental health counselors or school counselors.”
That being said, once the bell rings, the children go home, and those with subpar home lives are thrown right into the proverbial fire.
Holzman told the Board that he is willing to look into some additional resources for teachers to help de-escalate a tense situation.
The full meeting can be viewed on YouTube, with the conversation about the attack on the teacher beginning at around the 1 hour, 42-minute mark.
