Framingham Principal: 'Work' Needed to Help More Students 'Feel Even Safer in School'

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Recently, there have been ”events of physical aggression between students” at Fuller Middle School, including a fight in the school’s cafeteria.

Last Friday, seventh grade students attended a community meeting at the school.

On Sunday afternoon, the school’s principal and vice principal issued an email about the ”peer aggression” and steps being taken at the school to parents. (Several copies of the email were forwarded to Framingham Patch.)

School administration conducted an online survey of students, in which one question (in English, Spanish, and Portuguese) was asked, the email told parents.

The question: “Overall, how safe do you feel in school?”

One out of every 3 students responded to the survey and the results thus far are:

• Extremely safe 10%

• Very safe 32%

• Moderately safe 44%

• Slightly safe 10%

• Not at all safe 4%

“Clearly we have work to do to help more students feel even safer in the school, but we want to assure you that we will continue to work to ensure that our students - your children, can learn in a safe and supportive environment,” wrote Principal Sharon Seyller and Vice Principal Mike Stevens.

Grade 6 and 8 will be surveyed this week.

Friday’s meeting with students was scheduled as a “celebration of the fact that 85 percent of these children have demonstrated positive behavior that meets our Fuller Core Values of Respect, Responsibility and Results,” wrote the principal and vice principal in the Sunday email to parents.

But because of recent incidents, the meeting also was “used to focus on what students should do in the event that they know about or witness physical aggression between peers. We have identified the students involved and are taking appropriate action with them. However, it is important to us to ensure that all students are given greater awareness on how to address issues of peer aggression. We will take similar steps with the 8th grade and 6th grade students this week,” wrote the school’s administration to parents.

“Peer aggression, whether in the form of physical assaults or threats is a significant problem in many middle schools across the country. We also know that if a student does not feel safe in school, then they are not going to learn,” wrote Seyller and Stevens to parents.

School administration told parents in addition to acknowledging the presence of peer aggression problems, they provided three main guidelines on what students should do to help prevent them from escalating.

1. WHAT DO I DO? If a student hears about the existence of a threat, they should report it to an adult as soon as possible.

2. WHO CAN I TELL? Students can tell their teacher, a guidance counselor, the nurse, an administrator or any other available adult. We in administration cannot take preventive action unless we have information to help us.

3. HOW DO I REACT? In the event that a physical altercation takes place, students should back away from the incident to keep themselves and others safe. Do NOT under any circumstances get involved. It is the responsibility of adults to deal with physical threats as they occur.

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