More than 20 teachers and paraprofessionals attended the Modesto City Schools Board of Education meeting on Monday to address a rise in disruptive and violent behavior among students in transitional kindergarten through second grade. The educators expressed concerns about the lack of disciplinary measures by school administrators.
Lisbeth Perez, a paraprofessional with eight years of experience in the district, described an incident involving a student who left the classroom without permission or supervision for extended periods. Perez said, “The same student has hit me, has punched me, has hit me with sticks, with his bare arms, legs. [With] no suspension, no behavior consequence, [he] is able to return back.” She added that students do not feel safe and recounted a parent telling her that their child was afraid to attend school because another student had destroyed his classroom.
After similar issues were raised at a previous board meeting by the Modesto Teachers Association, the district included the topic as an agenda item to gather input from staff and teachers. Educators reported incidents such as students stabbing peers or staff with pencils, physical aggression like kicking and punching, and overturning desks.
Teachers voiced concerns about current disciplinary practices and the challenge of providing adequate attention to one disruptive student while managing classes that can exceed 30 students. According to district officials, main behavioral issues include elopement—students leaving classrooms unsupervised—profanity, and aggression resulting in classroom damage.
David Houck, Senior Director of Child Welfare and Attendance, explained that elopement cannot legally result in suspension under state law. “Elopement does fall under [Education Code] 48-900K. Elopement will not result in a suspension in Modesto City Schools. So, we’re going to have to come up with alternative means,” he said.
Houck also presented information on changes in state laws regarding school discipline. He noted that while zero-tolerance policies previously led to higher rates of suspension and expulsion for students of color and those with disabilities, legislative reforms aimed at reducing these disparities began in 2013 when California banned suspensions for K-3 students due to willful defiance. This ban expanded to all K-12 students by 2023 and removed recess restrictions as punishment. However, according to research from the Urban Institute, these changes have not significantly reduced inequities among affected groups.
California encouraged schools to develop alternative disciplinary strategies instead of punitive measures associated with the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline.” Teachers reported that much of this responsibility now falls on them due to unclear guidance on alternatives.
Nationwide data show increased behavioral challenges since schools returned to in-person learning after COVID-19 disruptions. The National Education Association highlighted findings from a University of Missouri survey indicating declines in teacher working conditions related to safety and classroom disruptions following the pandemic.
Board Trustee Abel Maestas acknowledged this trend extends beyond Modesto: “This is not a Modesto City Schools issue … across the country, the behaviors, they’ve increased.”
The district reported investments in restorative justice practices and an increase in support staff—including growing student assistant specialists from 20 in 2021 to 70 currently—and mental health clinicians from 12 two years ago to 29 now. Intervention centers have also been created for older students.
However, teachers said their main concern lies with inconsistent discipline rather than available interventions. Juli Smith, a second-grade teacher at Everett Elementary School, shared incidents where violent actions resulted only in minor administrative responses or required persistent advocacy from teachers before further action was taken. She stated: “Our kids are being traumatized by it. They can’t learn when they don’t feel safe. And they don’t feel safe at school.”
Natalie Perez, an MCS program specialist focused on behavioral and mental health needs, suggested solutions such as additional training for staff on managing behaviors; developing consistent alternative discipline plans; creating dedicated intervention spaces at elementary sites; among others. Perez commented: “The data shows that discipline in schools has historically and disproportionately affected students from marginalized communities the most. We know that suspensions and expulsions aren’t necessarily the answer, but neither is the state we’re in right now… Preventative and intervention services are a long-term solution that are currently being used as a band-aid fix for student behavior.”
Trustee Jolene Daly criticized current practices where positive reinforcement may inadvertently reward bad behavior: “It sounds like our state representatives are the ones that have messed up… Juan Alanis specifically, and Maria Alvarado-Gil for our area and our governor Gavin Newsom need to come down here… This is absolutely outrageous…”
Board Chairman Maestas advised advocacy should focus on securing better funding for smaller class sizes and more staffing while avoiding past punitive approaches that harmed Black and Latino students: “I do want us to recognize that we don’t want…to create this school-to-prison pipeline…especially for our Black and our Latino students.”
Superintendent Vanessa Buitrago recognized longstanding frustration among educators over unresolved behavioral issues: “The behaviors that we’re talking about didn’t just pop up out of nowhere…the frustration…is…not new.” She emphasized rebuilding trust between district leadership and educators as key for effective collaboration moving forward.
Both Maestas and Buitrago stressed involving parents more directly when addressing these challenges. Buitrago mentioned exploring partnerships with third-party organizations to help families prepare children before starting school: “We need to find a way to leverage families differently…And I don’t know what that looks like but I know we need to explore or experiment…”
