Teaching isn’t just a job. It is a vocation or calling. Educational professionals commit years to obtaining an appropriate education themselves. They may accept mediocre wages because they want to have a positive impact on children and young adults.
Teachers accept a variety of risks when they take a job at a school. Many teachers eventually develop repetitive strain injuries from spending hours at the board or typing. They are at risk of falls and illnesses caused by exposure to pathogens in a school environment.
Additionally, they are at risk of injuries caused by student violence. There has been a noteworthy uptick in incidents where students become violent toward teachers and other school professionals in recent years. How can that violence potentially impact teachers?
Students can cause serious physical damage
Children and teenagers alike can cause major physical injuries to teachers when they become aggressive. Teachers may not feel like they can fight back or even attempt to restrain the student in some cases, which may mean that a student hits or kicks them multiple times before someone else intervenes.
When students are younger, they can be particularly wild and aggressive. They might bite or throw objects that can injure a teacher. Older students may have incredible physical strength during their teenage years. A single punch could break someone’s nose and cause a brain injury.
The physical injuries that result from an act of violence may require hospitalization, surgery and even physical therapy. Teachers may spend months recovering from the harm a student causes in a violent attack.
Student attacks can cause psychological trauma
An attack in the classroom can do real psychological harm to a teacher. They may never feel quite as safe or confident in the classroom as they did before the incident. In some cases, they may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which makes it unhealthy and unsafe for them to return to the same institution. They may require years of counseling to overcome the trauma they experience.
The good news is that workers’ compensation benefits can help pay for both physical injuries and mental health challenges that arise due to an incident on the job. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to quantify and prove the impact of a mental health disorder like PTSD on a professional.
Teachers recovering from a violent attack at school may need help applying for workers’ compensation benefits. They may need to learn their rights if they require benefits for PTSD and other mental health consequences. Educators who learn about their rights can use that information when pursuing benefits for their injuries and the secondary consequences of violent incidents.