Data collected by the Boston Public Schools indicate that reports of fights and assaults in the district have dropped significantly so far this year as compared to 2019, the last year that students attended in-person classes.
The statistics, provided to the Reporter last week in response to a request made in early November, show a notable decrease in reported incidents between the two years. BPS recorded 852 altercations and assaults between Sept. 1 and Nov. 5, 2019. There were 501 incidents this year during the same period, a decrease of 351 year to year. Enrollment went from 53,094 in the fall of 2019 to the current enrollment of 46,169.
The major pinch-point for incidents that require disciplinary action seems to be occurring at the 9th-grade level, where 55 students were disciplined for fighting or assaults – almost double the number at other grade levels from 7 to 11, which had numbers in the 20s. The 12th graders had fewer than 10 incidents. That was also the case for the elementary grades. BPS does not discipline students in grades 2 and below.
In that same breakdown, 109 students were male and 75 were female, while 159 were economically disadvantaged and 25 were not.
In a statement to the Reporter, Supt. Brenda Cassellius said the district is “fiercely committed” to working proactively to prevent incidents and that is showing in the numbers. “The health, safety, and well-being of every student is a top priority of the Boston Public Schools,” she wrote. “BPS will not condone or tolerate willful acts of violence or misconduct of any kind.”
Her statement continued: “The district will remain focused on identifying, mitigating, and eliminating confrontational incidences and is proactive in addressing various incidences in various ways and to the appropriate measure; including a focus on restorative justice practices, anti-bullying programs, and anti-racist trainings as alternatives to traditional disciplinary measures when applicable. The district has also invested in key social-emotional supports by hiring family liaisons and social workers in each school.”
The data provided to the Reporter were also supplied to members of the Boston City Council, who had requested more information following the high-profile, violent attack on Patricia Lampron, the principal of the Henderson Inclusion School’s upper campus, on Nov. 3.
Information provided to the council’s request included incidents requiring a 9-1-1 response between Sept. 1 and Nov. 23 of this year. Of those district-wide numbers, there were 33 cases of some type of assault, 39 cases of indecent assault and battery, 8 cases of possession of some type of weapon, 10 cases of affray, and 11 cases of ‘sexting’ – the sending of inappropriate images via cell phone text – among many other categories.
Councillor Frank Baker, who filed an information request to get the statistics, said he is convinced that there is a culture of underreporting violence and altercations in school buildings. He pointed to one number provided to him that showed only four incidents at the Henderson School this year and he said he has received word about many more than that.
“What I hear from people in the schools is a lot of ‘You didn’t hear this from me, but…’,” he said. “I get a lot of that. People are afraid to report things. It’s a culture of underreporting and a culture that’s trying to keep police and public safety out of the schools.”
The SEIU 888 union, which represents about 300 staff workers such as secretaries and clerical workers, agrees with Baker. In a statement to the Reporter, the union said: “The district does not voluntarily distribute information on concerning or violent events and appears untruthful and evasive when asked about specific concerning or violent events that have occurred. This consistent pattern showing a lack of transparency District wide is the greatest concern and equates to a cover up.”
Last week, SEIU 888 put in a formal legal request to the Boston Police and BPS to get incident reports of these individual events. They have also asked for public information regarding the numbers of students leaving – known as student attrition – the Henderson Upper School.
