The researchers who surveyed almost 15,000 school staff members on student behavior and toxic school environments plan to find out. 

This week, the American Psychological Association  a follow-up survey to keep tracking the extent of violence against school staff and its effect on educators鈥� decisions to stay in their jobs. 

鈥淭his will give us strong comparisons across time,鈥� said Susan McMahon, chair of the task force behind the survey and an associate dean in the College of Science and Health at DePaul University. 

The current study showed 37 percent of administrators have been harassed or threatened with violence from a student, 42 percent have experienced similar treatment from a parent and 15 percent have been the victim of a violent incident involving a student. 

Those findings reflect responses collected during the 2020-21 school year, when many schools remained closed. Recent reports from and professional organizations suggest schools are now seeing even more defiant and aggressive acts from students and that teachers aren鈥檛 waiting until the year is over to walk away. 

鈥淭he fact that many schools were hybrid or online during the time of the survey makes these rates even more concerning,鈥� McMahon said. 鈥淣ot only are schools operating in person, the effects of the pandemic are extensive in terms of lost loved ones, lost learning, health issues and the stresses related to COVID-19.鈥�

The results come weeks after President Joe Biden drew attention to student mental health as part of his State of the Union address and followed up by signing a federal budget that includes $111 million to increase the supply of school counselors, social workers and psychologists. The researchers point to that would further increase both staff training in mental health and positions for those professionals. But they also say school climate has deteriorated and adding more staff alone won鈥檛 fix the problem. The researchers analyzed over 7,000 written responses, in which staff expressed the need for more security personnel and said they鈥檝e faced 鈥渂elittling鈥� comments from parents and the community.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e asking for more than just mental health money,鈥� said Ron Astor, a public affairs and education professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of the task force. 鈥淭his is a pressure cooker. We need clear guidelines around issues of civility.鈥�

A from the National Association of Secondary School Principals also pointed to rising concerns over harassment, with 34 percent of principals reporting online threats from parents and 29 percent reporting in-person threats from parents.

Elliot Duchon, a former superintendent in the Jurupa Unified School District, near Los Angeles, said political strife and escalating fights and curriculum have contributed to a breakdown in school climate. In some districts, parents encouraged their children to go to school before districts dropped mandates.

鈥淧arents are literally teaching their kids to disobey school rules,鈥� said Duchon, now a consultant with F3Law, a California firm specializing in education.  

A look that 鈥榤eant trouble鈥�

Tracy Cooper, a veteran school bus driver in the Orange County Public Schools in Florida, who testified during a Thursday on the survey findings, said a parent threatened to have her fired because she enforced the district鈥檚 mask policy.

鈥淟uckily for me, I鈥檝e only had one student threaten to physically attack me,鈥� she said. A boy 鈥渉ad this look on his face that meant trouble鈥� and then tried to push her down as she walked through the aisle, she said..

Maggie Maples, a recreational therapist in the Mustang Public Schools, near Tulsa, said she鈥檚 arrived at schools this year to work with students only to find they鈥檝e been suspended.

鈥淓ighth-grade boys can get a little violent,鈥� said Maples. 鈥淭here are a couple kiddos who are really defiant when it comes to agreeing with teachers. They cuss them out or make threatening comments.鈥�

The data shows some educators have had enough. Researchers found between 23 percent and 43 percent of respondents wanted or planned to quit the profession. The rates across regions were fairly similar, ranging from 35 percent in the Midwest and West to 38 percent in the South. State-level surveys, including those in and , point to similar results.

Now a year later, local reports show some followed through on those intentions. In the , 169 teachers left between December and mid-February, and the lost more than 50 teachers shortly after the school year began. Experts, however, say it鈥檚 too soon to conclude that teachers are quitting at higher rates than in a typical year. A number of factors, including more open positions fueled by federal relief funds, could contribute to staff vacancies.

鈥淲e really are in the middle of a crisis right now,鈥� said Autumn Rivera, a sixth grade science teacher from Colorado and one of four current finalists for national Teacher of the Year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very rare for teachers to leave in the middle of the school year.鈥�

Not all schools are experiencing the same uptick in violent outbursts. Michael Brown, principal of Winters Mill High School in Carroll County, Maryland, north of Baltimore, said he braced himself for a rash of discipline issues last fall.

While there were a few 鈥渞ough patches鈥� around the holidays, that鈥檚 no different than a typical year, he said, adding that students seem to be grateful for school experiences that they missed while schools were closed. When the school held an outdoor homecoming dance, students stayed until the end despite occasional rain. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a reintroduction to everything,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淛ust having the normal things that they had taken for granted has really helped to reduce some of those behaviors.鈥� 

Disclosure: Linda Jacobson co-authored several books with Ron Astor on and students facing .