American Schools: Rising Lawlessness Threatens Teachers and Students

When students return to classrooms in the coming weeks, the buildings they enter will not be safe. Forget test scores. At this point, schools are failing in their basic fiduciary duty to keep children from harm.

In the closing months of last school year, I spoke with almost 200 teachers. They told me that fights are constant with little consequence. They told me of the persistent anxiety as their schools teetered on the precipice of chaos, of the teachers who are cussed out, threatened, and disrespected every single day, and of how the public doesn’t understand the crisis we are in.

About the Author

Daniel Buck

Daniel Buck is a research fellow and the director of the Conservative Education Reform Network at the American Enterprise Institute.

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When students return to classrooms in the coming weeks, the buildings they enter will not be safe. Forget test scores. At this point, schools are failing in their basic fiduciary duty to keep children from harm.

In the closing months of last school year, I spoke with almost 200 teachers. They told me that fights are constant with little consequence. They told me of the persistent anxiety as their schools teetered on the precipice of chaos, of the teachers who are cussed out, threatened, and disrespected every single day, and of how the public doesn’t understand the crisis we are in.