How safe is State High? School district releases report on assaults, harassment and more

State College Area School District has released information on safety at the high school in response to “recent physical altercations and increased racial tension,” according to a report given to the board on Monday.

The report from assistant superintendent Curtis Johnson and State College Area High School principal Laura Tobias shows data on assaults, fighting, minor altercations and harassment at the school from 2015-2022.

“As a district, we are constantly striving to create a safer and more welcoming environment for our students,” Johnson and Tobias wrote in the update to the board, which comes on the heels of an assault tied to a racist photo in February.

Incidents of harassment, fighting and intimidation have decreased significantly since 2015. The district recorded a high of 21 fights in 2017-18 compared to seven so far in 2021-22. The district had no reports of sexual harassment this school year and one report of racial intimidation.

The report only compiles instances that were reported to the administration and resulted in a consequence. It also does not account for fights that happen off school property or harassment on social media, places the district has no jurisdiction.

“There are various reasons incidents might not be reported or result in disciplinary action,” Johnson said during the board meeting. “Some students may report to confidential sources in the school such as counselors, additionally some students may ask that the incident not be reported to the administration.

The school has had 621 reports this year through Safe2Say, the state’s anonymous tip line for students, parents and staff. The tips help bring overall numbers down, alerting the administration to problems ahead of time, Tobais told the CDT.

“We’ve been able to bring in restorative practices and have conversations with students and families before they even became a physical altercation or something else,” Tobias said.

The school reported one incidence of racial intimidation in the 2021-2022 school year but race-related incidents made up 81% of the 25 reports made to the school’s Respond, Engage, Advocate, Communicate and Teach (REACT) team in the 2021-2022 school year. The REACT team does not handle punishments but strives to educate and use restorative justice to mend relationships, Tobias said.

How do students, parents feel about safety at State High?

According to the PA Youth Survey, 90.3% of students felt safe at the school in 2021-2022. But despite the overall reports of violence decreasing, some parents remain concerned about fights and harassment.

Eric Dreibelbis, a father of a State High senior, said he considered pulling his son out of the district after repeated harassment, including a physical assault that happened in December off school grounds.

“I think the teachers or the administrator, they just can’t do anything. I think they feel like their hands are tied,” Dreibelbis said.

Mike Bennett, a parent of another senior at the school, is also concerned with his son’s safety after an altercation with several students in November. Bennett said he felt unheard by the district when asking about what would happen with his son’s case and feels the safety report isn’t an accurate representation of what’s going on inside the school.

Initiatives, programs aim to improve school climate

The district has been focusing on faculty and staff working to build relationships with students since the start of the year. The report also listed several programs and initiatives in the report to help improve student safety and overall school climate.

These programs include increasing teachers and security officers present in hallways and bathrooms before, during and after the school day. Tobias said the administration is adjusting routes and schedules to make sure that teachers and staff are around to help monitor students.

English teachers for all grades at the high school talked with students about reporting incidents of harassment or violence as part of the No Place for Hate program.

The school recently held a Student Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together (SPIRIT) program in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Justice to address concerns about the school’s climate. A group of 12 students were elected to work with the administration on how to improve safety and attitudes in the school.

Although incidents of violence have lessened, district officials say student behavior has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

“We’re seeing a rise in the mental health needs of teens because of the isolation that COVID caused, significant spikes of depression, anxiety, different thing like that,” Seria Chatters, the district’s director of diversity and inclusion said in an interview with the CDT.

The district has been increasing mental health supports for students and faculty to help deal with mental health and emotional needs. Chatters said by taking care of mental health the district has been able to reduce negative behaviors and increase school attendance and academic performance.

During Monday’s meeting, board member Laurel Zydney expressed some concern shared by parents about how effective restorative justice is in cases of harassment or bullying.

Johnson said the administration has gone through training to deal with these incidents and is in contact with a lawyer who specializes in helping schools with student safety.

“I believe in the role of restorative practices, I really believe in the need to provide more support, more guidance and more direction for those involved in whatever the harmful behavior might have been,” Board member Dan Duffy said.