Beaumont Police See Increase In Unruly Behavior At Schools

BEAUMONT, CA — The Beaumont Police Department is seeing a rise in misconduct and violence on school campuses, and there is concern by law enforcement that COVID-19 stressors are part of the reason for the bad behavior.

On Friday, the department was contacted by a staff member from Beaumont High School about an alleged assault.

"The staff member told police she was responding to a report of students who were smoking in the bathroom. After contacting the students, the staff member reports she was hit either by one of the students or by an object thrown at her while exiting the bathroom. The staff member was transported to an area hospital for evaluation," according to the department. "This case is still under investigation and officers are looking for witnesses who may be able to provide additional details."

The Beaumont Police Department acknowledged the incident is concerning, and it's not the only one.

"We are seeing an increase in incidents of misconduct, vandalism, and violence on our school campuses. While these incidents have increased at the high school, many other area school districts have seen similar increases. We believe some of this to be fallout of the pandemic, the difficult transition for students between virtual and in-person learning," the department reported.

When contacted for further information, the Beaumont Police Department did not immediately respond. The Beaumont Unified School District was also contacted but did not provide an immediate response.

Beaumont police urged parents to be aware of some of the signs of a mental health crisis in children — anger, aggression, anxiety, depression, acts of violence, attempts to hurt themselves, or thoughts of hurting oneself or others. The department provided a link to county resources that can help parents who are dealing with children experiencing mental health crises.

Some health officials and child development experts say adult stress amid COVID is having a significant impact on children.

The “levels of heightened stress and waves of uncertainty” adults have experienced amid the pandemic have very real effects on children, Lisa Sanetti, a professor of educational psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, told PBS News Hour. “I’d say that it’s not possible to focus on the children without making sure that the adults around them are healthy as well.”

Sanetti told the news outlet that research shows adult stress can actually prompt a physical reaction in kids. “Their cortisol levels, the stress hormone levels, go up,” she said.

Stress can disrupt children’s relationships with adults, including their teachers, according to Sanetti.

“And we know that relationships between teachers and students are essential to students feeling connected and engaged in school and frankly, just staying in school," Sanetti said.

Jennifer Greif Green, an associate professor in the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development at Boston University, told PBS News Hour that most of a child’s interactions with adults are with their parents and teachers.

“When parents and teachers who are around children are doing well and are feeling good, then the children who they’re with will have better mental health and better academic outcomes," she said.

Pandemic-related adult stressors have been numerous since early 2020. Work loss, job stability and financial concerns, child care challenges, distance learning, worry about vulnerable family members, keeping up on the latest health mandates, questions about vaccines, and more, have troubled many families.

For teachers — who are often parents themselves — there are added concerns: trying to teach kids in an online environment, then welcoming them back into the classroom more than a year later to find some who've fallen behind.

Kids are also seeing adults arguing over health mandates. There's been plenty of nationwide news footage and live stream of school board meetings showing adults bullying each other over COVID mandates.

A teen interviewed in the PBS News Hour segment said she has witnessed a “weird” divide among adults.

"It’s like a disconnect, where neither side wants to understand the other,” she told the news outlet.

She said kids are dealing with their own pressures, and when adults don’t agree, it just adds to students’ anxiety.

"You feel caught in the middle," she said. "Like there are two voices in my own head that are telling me different things. You’re always taught, ‘Respect your parents and respect your teachers.’ But when they want completely different things what do you do?"

Related: School 'Walkout' In Beaumont USD Shows Squeeze From Both Sides