Colorado teachers report increasing attacks by students

Colorado teachers are increasingly becoming the targets of violence in the classroom with half in a recent survey saying they've been injured by a student.

Why it matters: The alarming findings, outlined in a new state-ordered report, are focusing attention on an underreported issue in schools.

Driving the news: The Colorado Educator Safety Task Force issued roughly two dozen recommendations to improve conditions in classrooms, starting with de-escalation training for teachers and school response teams.

• A call for more mental and behavioral services for students is another key component, along with more support for educators and better reporting systems.

What they're saying: "We really have to acknowledge that educator safety is a priority," Chris Harms, the director of the Colorado Office of School Safety and a member of the task force, told our editorial partners at Chalkbeat.

• "We heard over and over again people feeling like this has become normalized," she said. "That people are expected to expect getting hurt on the job. And we don't think that is what should be."

By the numbers: The task force's survey of Colorado teachers found that the prevalence of student violence against teachers is higher than previous estimates.

• Three-quarters said they witnessed a student try to harm them or another adult at school.

Zoom in: The stories from individual educators stuck with the task force members.

Tricia Van Horssen, a school social worker in the Poudre School District, told Chalkbeat about being attacked after trying to diffuse an incident between students.

• She was knocked to the ground by a raging student who pulled her hair, headbutted her and kicked her in the chest. But she blames societal problems, not the student.

"If I were to say, 'What does the student who assaulted me need?'" Van Horssen said. "What he needs, we don't have."