Blog Post [ELM#1142] Keeping Staff Safe When Student Behavior Escalates

How do we reduce staff injuries and improve safety during escalated student incidents, especially in specialized settings? I hear this question in district offices and in hallways after long days. It often comes from someone holding an injury report in one hand and a vacancy list in the other. Paraprofessionals are getting hurt, and teachers in self-contained classrooms are exhausted.

The numbers deserve our attention. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025) reported violence against school teachers at 20.0 cases per 10,000 workers in 2021–22. That rate is double the rate for all occupations. A national study found that 56% of teachers experienced physical violence from students at least once during the school year (DePaul University, 2024). Behind every one of those numbers is a person.

Good Intentions Fall Short

Many districts respond the same way. They purchase a crisis intervention program, certify staff in physical holds, and file the certificates. Then they wait for injuries to drop, and too often the injuries keep coming.

Research helps explain why. Among 4,471 teachers surveyed nationally, greater school use of crisis intervention practices was linked to higher odds of violence against teachers (Perry et al., 2024). The authors cautioned that the effect was small and that they could not determine causation. Still, when a safety plan starts in crisis, staff are already standing in harm’s way.

What Safe Schools Believe

Ross Greene, author of Lost at School, offers a phrase every leader should remember: “Kids do well if they can” (Greene, 2014). When a student cannot, the adults need a plan built long before the crisis. That belief moves responsibility from the paraprofessional in the room to the system behind her.

Safety also begins with the leader. A few years ago, I asked a leader I was coaching, “What is your most precious resource?” The leader answered, “My staff,” and spent ten minutes explaining why. Then I asked again, this time from their perspective as an individual.

After a pause, the leader said, “Myself.” They followed with one of my favorite statements: “Everyone takes their cue from the leader.” I asked one more question about how they were managing their time. As it lingered, I watched the light bulb come on. “Time,” the leader said, “is my most precious resource.”

I think about that conversation every time I hear about an incident in a classroom. Staff in an escalating classroom take their cue from the calm, prepared adults beside them. Those adults take their cue from us. When we never protect time for debriefs and coaching, we tell staff that safety is their problem alone.

Five Moves That Protect Staff

Safer schools come from prevention done well, honest review after every incident, and leaders who guard time for both. Start with your specialized settings, where the stakes run highest. Here are five moves I recommend.

1. View every restraint incident as a prevention signal. The Center on PBIS (n.d.) states that any crisis requiring restraint or seclusion should be viewed as a prevention failure. Leaders who accept that view stop asking who failed and start asking what was missed. Review restraint and injury data monthly by school, classroom, time of day, and student.
2. Debrief within 48 hours, every time. The Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (n.d.) recommends a staff debriefing no later than 48 hours after any restraint. It should include everyone involved, an administrator, and a behavior specialist who was not part of the incident. The guidance also calls for monitoring the well-being of staff who conducted the restraint.
3. Train for the twenty minutes before the crisis. More than half of surveyed educators said they need training in de-escalation, trauma-informed practices, and behavior management (DePaul University, 2024). Perry et al. (2024) note that verbal de-escalation is not recommended once violence begins. Early recognition matters most, so practice it through scenarios and role-play.
4. Coach the practice, not the attendance. Perry et al. (2024) found that simply using prevention practices was not linked to lower violence. Teachers who rated those practices as effective, however, reported lower odds of physical violence. The authors pointed to job-embedded, data-driven coaching as a promising support.
5. Bring staff voice into the plan. Researchers urge district and school leaders to engage educators in ongoing discussions about discipline, placement, staffing, and climate (DePaul University, 2024). The paraprofessional who works with a student daily often sees the warning signs first. Give that person a seat at the planning table.

Now What?

Policy alone will not protect our people, but practice will. Start this month. Before your next leadership meeting, gather three items:

• Twelve months of restraint and staff injury data, sorted by setting
• Your current debrief protocol and its completion rate
• A list of specialized classrooms without an assigned behavior coach

Every staff member who leaves after an injury takes experience our students cannot afford to lose. What would change if every incident in your district produced a better plan? Who on your team owns that answer today?

Schedule a restraint and injury data review with your specialized-setting leaders within 30 days, and guard that time.

# EducationalLeader,
Kim

When schools are well led, students learn well.

References

• Center on PBIS. (n.d.). Restraint/seclusion.
• Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. (n.d.). Physical restraint and seclusion procedures in school settings.
• DePaul University. (2024, May 30). New study: Violence, aggression against educators reaching concerning levels.
• Greene, R. W. (2014). Lost at school: Why our kids with behavioral challenges are falling through the cracks and how we can help them (Rev. ed.). Scribner.
• Perry, A. H., Martinez, A., Reddy, L. A., McMahon, S. D., Anderman, E. M., Astor, R. A., Espelage, D. L., & Worrell, F. C. (2024). Addressing violence against educators: What do teachers say works? School Psychology.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Injuries and illnesses among school teachers. The Economics Daily.

The views shared herein are solely those of Dr. Kim D. Moore and do not necessarily reflect the positions of her employer, the school district, or any local, state, or federal government entity.