Teachers at Kickemuit Middle School stage ‘sick-out’ over safety concerns
By: News Staff
Email: news@abc6.com
Twitter: @ABC6
WARREN, R.I. (WLNE) – Kickemuit Middle School is closed Friday due to what the superintendent is calling “a high number of adult illnesses.”
Many teachers at the middle school have called out sick and the teachers’ union says it’s over concerns about teacher and student safety.
Parents were notified of the closure at around 10:20 p.m. Thursday.
According to the Bristol-Warren Education Association, teachers at Kickemuit have been concerned about student and staff safety because of what they are calling ‘escalating student behaviors.’
A union spokesperson tells us there have been numerous attempts by teachers and administration over the past year to address those concerns.
A statement from the union states:
“These attempts by the Bristol Warren Education Association to work with the BWRSD have not resulted in satisfactory actions by the administration to ensure provisions of a well-organized and disciplined school, despite our willingness to be part of a proactive plan to address the escalating behaviors of students at KMS…. While teachers are convalescing, they are hoping that a viable and guaranteed plan will be put in place that will provide the well-organized and disciplined school that all children and adults can thrive in.”
Teachers at the school are not the only ones worried about the culture at the school. Cayden Sumner is a seventh grader who said that rampant bullying is a huge problem, and it’s taking a toll on students and the teachers.
“I see bullying, I see picking on, I see sometimes teachers even crying,” Sumner said. “The past couple of weeks I’ve seen a lot of bullying going on and it hurts me.”
In the statement, the teachers feel like they don’t have the support from administration to deal with rowdy kids.
Sumner said it’s a major problem.
“Knowing you’re a student and you’re going to school knowing that you can get picked on any time of the day until 2:00 p.m.,” Sumner said.
Parents are also dealing with the stress of undisciplined kids at the school.
Bethany Francis was forced to hire a lawyer after a slanderous rumor spread around the school about her daughter.
“She suffered a lot from this experience and from other bullying issues that happened afterwards that were not followed through and it’s really had an emotional impact on her,” Francis said. “[We] really struggled with whether we feel safe to continue sending our three kids to school.”
Both Sumner and Francis are standing by the teachers and the decision to call out.
Warren Police told ABC 6 they responded to Kickemuit 18 times this school year, but it isn’t an unusually high amount. Although, police did say they found crack cocaine on a student.
“We will continue our efforts, to the best of our ability, to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for our students, faculty, families and school employees,” said Warren Police Chief Peter Achilli in a statement.
Erin Schofield is the chairperson for the School Committee. She released the following statement:
Last night I received a call from the Superintendent informing me that school would have to be cancelled today at KMS due to a large number of teachers calling in sick.
I can’t make any specific comments at this time because I don’t have all the information, and I can’t speak for the full School Committee until we come together as a group. It seems to me, though, that when something like this happens, it’s because people want to be heard, and I will say that this School Committee wants to listen and to work together to ensure that there is a safe and welcoming environment at KMS, and all our schools, that allows our excellent teachers to do what they do best – provide our students with an excellent education.
This is a tough day for all of us in Bristol-Warren. Surely it is for me, as both School Committee Chair and as a parent.
ABC 6 reached out to Superintendent Mario Andrade, but our repeated calls were not returned.
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019
