Duty of Care – Teacher Edition

Walk into almost any school, and you’ll hear the same thing in different words: teachers are being asked to do more, support more, and manage more complex student needs than ever before. As more students are identified with disabilities, receive special education-related services and placed in inclusion model classrooms, the line between “special education” and “general education” has started to blur. According to NCES, the number of students ages 3–21 served under IDEA increased from 6.4 million in 2012–13 to 7.5 million in 2022–23.

In many schools, classroom teachers are now expected to support students with behavioral, emotional, academic, and sensory needs that once would have been addressed in a more specialized setting.

That shift matters, because it changes what teachers are responsible for, how schools organize support, and what happens when student behavior becomes unsafe. It also raises a fundamental question: if schools expect every teacher to meet a wider range of needs, are they doing enough to protect those teachers from injury?

The new reality in classrooms

The fact is that student needs are rising, but staffing and support for those needs are not. Teachers are increasingly working with students who need individualized accommodations, behavior plans, and layered supports, often in classrooms that were not designed for that level of complexity. The result is that more educators are finding themselves managing situations that require special education knowledge, de-escalation skills, and crisis response awareness.

This is not just a workload issue. It is a safety issue. When a teacher is expected to respond to aggression, throwing objects, physical resistance, or escalating behavior without enough training or support, the risk of injury rises. And when that happens repeatedly, the problem becomes a schoolwide concern.

Teacher injury is not rare

Research shows that teacher-directed violence is a real and growing problem in schools. One national study found that violence against school teachers occurred at a rate of 20.0 cases per 10,000 workers in 2021–22, which was double the rate for all occupations. Another study found that special education teachers experienced aggression at a rate 1.9 times greater than teachers of general education subjects.

That matters because special education teachers often work in settings where behavior is more intense, more unpredictable, and more physically demanding. A separate injury study found that student-inflicted injuries to school staff occur frequently and can be severe, with educational assistants and special education staff bearing a disproportionate burden of injury. In other words, the people supporting some of our highest-need students are often the ones facing the highest physical risk.

Why special education staff feel it most

Special education teachers and staff are often expected to absorb more than their share of difficult behavior. They support students who may struggle with communication, regulation, trauma, sensory overload, or disability-related needs that can show up as aggression or sudden escalation. That means they need more than good intentions; they need systems and resources.

When we treat violence or injury as “part of the job,” it sends a damaging message. 

It normalizes harm. 

It hastens attrition, while also making it harder to recruit and retain the very educators who are most needed in special education settings. Safety is not separate from instruction. If teachers do not feel protected, it becomes much harder for them to teach effectively, build trust, and stay in the profession.

What teachers say might help

Schools cannot solve this overnight, but they do have to respond intentionally when issues do arise. A strong response starts with clear reporting systems so staff know exactly how to report and document threats, aggression, and injuries. It also requires training that mirrors the reality of what teachers actually face, including de-escalation, trauma-informed practice, behavior management, and collaborative problem-solving.

We also need to strengthen behavior support before problems turn into crises. That means reviewing classroom and schoolwide systems, and giving teachers access to the kind of support that reduces repeated incidents. Just as important, is centering wellness support for staff after incidents, including debriefing, counseling access, and time to recover when needed.

What this really comes down to

At its core, this is not just a special education issue. It is reflective of a broader education culture problem. If we expect teachers to support more complex student needs, then they are owed the support, training, staffing, and protections they need to do that work safely.

The truth is that the rise in student classifications has changed the work of teaching. Many educators are already functioning as special education teachers in all but the title. The challenge now is making sure schools respond to that reality with the right resources, the right leadership, and the right commitment to teacher safety.