SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – In response to a recent assault on a teacher during school hours, Syracuse educators gathered at the Syracuse Teacher Association office two weeks ago to rally for workplace safety.
Within the hour, teachers, representing the Syracuse Teacher’s Association, which represents over 3100 teachers, gather to address concerns and questions in the aftermath of an assault that left a teacher at Lincoln Middle School with a concussion and multiple broken bones.
In late February, Lynzina Sutton, a 31-year-old woman, bypassed by school security, assaulting a teacher. Sutton was mistaken for a middle school child due to her short stature and a hood over her head disguising her as a student. Sutton has since been arrested and now faces charges of second-degree assault and third-degree burglary.
Nathan Peña, a middle school teacher, says parents need to understand when they are reaching out to parents their job is not to make them upset but only to inform what they are noticing about their children. “We all make mistakes – teachers and students make mistakes. I think there just needs to be communication. I think there never should get to a point to where I need to come put my hands on you or vice versa,” says Peña.
Investigations revealed Sutton intentionally sought her daughter’s teacher at Lincoln Middle School, inquiring about a referral made the previous day. Rebecca Smith, a teacher and mother, says it’s important in addressing student behavior but stressed that physical altercations should never be a resolution.
“No teacher should be – no person should be put into a situation when there is a conflict and they are not able to have safety,” Smith says.
In response to the incident, the Syracuse Teacher Association sent out communication last week, urging teachers to attend a forum to address any concerns or questions they may have regarding their safety.
Elbert Maeweather, a middle school math teacher, says he will be attending the forum tonight to stand by his colleague. “I think it just shows some solidarity, it shows that we are all there for each other.”
The rally is expected to be a platform for teachers to voice their concerns and collectively work towards ensuring a safer working environment for educators in Syracuse.
