Meeting after meeting, month after month, they’ve stepped to the podium and described in sometimes graphic and horrifying detail their experiences, or those of their children, in the classrooms, on the campuses or on the buses of Maricopa Unified School District.

One former teacher described the day a student picked up a chair and came toward her in a threatening manner. Some tell of “F-bombs” regularly hurled by students toward teachers. Others tell how their kids come home crying from being physically or mentally bullied, and how the kids don’t want to go back to school because of it.

According to MUSD statistics, about one in six K-12 students have had one or more discipline incidents in the past year in the district.

Those problems are not exclusive to MUSD, of course. Nearly every school district faces them.

But those accounts by parents and teachers during MUSD Governing Board meetings touched a nerve, and the district is responding.

During a call to the public in February, several people spoke of their outrage over behavior in the classroom. Governing Board President Robert Downey directed Superintendent Tracey Lopeman to come back with a report.

Since then, discussion on how best to address the issues has been ongoing. Since March, board meetings have included discussions on classroom discipline — bullying being prominent — and campus safety, and those conversations do not have an end in sight.

Board members urge everyone to get involved — students to administrative staff.

“This situation didn’t happen overnight and it’s not going to be fixed overnight,” Governing Board member Patti Coutré said. “I’m glad that we are making the efforts to address this.”

Torri Anderson speaks at a MUSD Governing Board meeting. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
On March 23, the district held its first meeting of the Student-Discipline and Campus-Safety Task Force.

Sixty-eight people — consisting of deans, parents, students, teachers, staff — were divided into four subcommittees to emphasize various areas of concern. They focused on bullying prevention and counseling, policy continuity across the district, parent engagement and restorative practices.

“Feedback has been positive thus far,” said Tracey Pastor, MUSD assistant superintendent of administrative services. “Moving forward, we want to ensure voices are heard while contributing to meaningful discussions that will lead to improvements.”

Board members are looking forward to seeing the organization get stronger, and bigger.

Among the problems identified are uneven interpretation and enforcement of district discipline policies from one campus to the next.

“I think it would be good to have the students’ input on how they would like to implement (discipline policies),” Coutré said. “Students know their peers better than I know them up here.”

Lopeman, Pastor and two MUSD principals gave a work-study presentation at a board meeting detailing data and response to classroom behavioral issues district wide.

There are bright spots, some reality and a lot of available information, Lopeman said. The work study is for future administration action.

Terra Gallagher, an educator with 15 years of experience who once was threatened by a kid who picked up a chair, attributed some of this problem to large class sizes. She previously taught at Desert Wind Middle School, and quickly witnessed behavior problems first-hand.

“I was really excited to work with these kids,” Gallagher said.

“Then class sizes kept growing,” she added. “When you’re pushing 40 kids, it’s a huge deal. It’s real hard to maintain classroom discipline.”

Darla Hyche, a single mom of seven, has spoken at board meetings and reached out to board members to address this issue head-on.

“I know they say, ‘Thank you for talking,’ but, I mean, something has to be done,” Hyche said.

Hyche is known for her colorful truck — decked out with autism-awareness stickers, paint and magnets. Her son attends Saddleback Elementary School and faces bullying on a regular basis, she said.

“He’s not wanting to be at school,” Hyche said. “(He’s) wanting to be alone. He’s ashamed.”

Ongoing bullying and behavioral issues go beyond the classroom, impacting not only students’ education but also their mental health, behavioral experts say.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42% of high school students surveyed had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the last 30 days. In the same study, 22% seriously considered suicide and 29% experienced poor mental health.

Bridgette Woods, another parent at Saddleback, said her son has been made fun of, hit, smacked and scratched.

“I can barely get him to come to school,” Woods said. “He’s 7; he shouldn’t have to worry about this.”

Coutré empathizes with the students and believes compassion and goodwill can go a long way toward improving the problem.

“I think we need to recognize when kids are having a bad day,” she said. “We need to recognize that, but we also need to show human kindness, a smile.”

Talitha Martin, a parent and English teacher at Maricopa High, is working with the MUSD board to develop a long-term solution. She advocates for quality staff and retention to ensure better relationships among teachers, students and parents.

Talithia Martin speaks at a MUSD Governing Board meeting. [Brian Petersheim Jr.]
In the meantime, she said, the district is moving in the right direction.

“I believe that people care deeply and want it to be better,” Martin said. “It’s important that we meet the challenge and come up with solutions.”

Downey recognized that opening the floor for feedback is going to end in a lot of criticism, and perhaps deservedly.

“We all want it resolved tomorrow,” Downey said. “But at some point soon, we might need to set a goal — like by next school year — we will have these changes in place.”

How is MUSD emphasizing campus safety?

MUSD says it wants to do more than decrease discipline issues and behavioral infractions. It wants to provide a safe space on its campuses.

In March, the district worked with Arizona School Risk Retention Trust to conduct a free, in-person safety and security audit.

Principals, administrators and Trust staff toured Desert Sunrise High School and Maricopa Wells Middle School.

Pastor said the feedback was constructive, and TRUST applauded the district for investing resources and taking measures to ensure safety for employees and students.

Pastor plans to use the general feedback to replicate audits on a smaller scale at other schools in the district. Some of the criticisms can be applied to every school, she explained.

Already in the works is a $400,000 project to renovate entrances and main offices at Maricopa Wells Middle School and Maricopa Elementary School. Barriers in the lobby and more security will be added.

“Visitors won’t be able to go anywhere past the initial lobby,” Coutre said. “You would have to be buzzed in.”

 

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This story was previously published in InMaricopa Magazine.

Cameron Jobson, Reporter
Cameron Jobson, Reporter
Cameron is the education reporter for InMaricopa. She joined the team in the beginning of 2023, after graduating from the University of Arizona with a BA in Journalism and English. Previously, she reported for the Tucson Weekly, El Inde News and edited for Pine Reads Review. When she's not hammering away on the keyboard, Cameron enjoys reading psychological thrillers, watching reality TV and playing guitar hero.

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