ATHOL — Several teachers came before the Athol-Royalston Regional School District School Committee Wednesday night to report that the morale of teachers is at rock bottom.

Teachers listed multiple reasons, including out-of-control students and the administration’s response to educator concerns being slow — if there is any response at all.

In an exchange of emails with the Athol Daily News prior to Wednesday’s meeting, Athol Teachers Association President Kerry Conway said, “The situation is pretty dire … in many of our buildings.”

She said that new leadership in some buildings “is struggling,” and that she and other union members are concerned about the district’s future.

Staff members are leaving the district and more resignations are coming, Conway said. “The general feeling is loss of hope and feeling quite defeated.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, seventh grade teacher Jeff Sautter told the committee, “My personal opinion is that the problems we face are bigger than all of us.” He explained that “student behaviors in the buildings are out of control every single day, and it’s not just a few ‘heavy hitters,’ it’s a high number of students that engage in these behaviors. These behaviors make it extremely difficult — if not impossible at times — to teach. It is having a significant impact on the morale of teachers, students and staff.

“Teachers are in tears,” Sautter continued. “Teachers are quitting in the middle of the school year. High numbers of teachers are looking for other jobs. Aggressive and physical students are laying hands on teachers.”

Some teachers, he said, are filing grievances with the administration and union, complaining of “harassment of a sexual nature,” adding that students are “flinging racial, misogynistic and homophobic slurs at each other.”

Teachers could be seen in the audience nodding their heads in agreement as Sautter noted that parents often excuse the behavior of their children, complain when their kids are subject to disciplinary action or, in some cases, actually threaten teachers for disciplining their children.

Superintendent Matthew Ehrenworth said some of the problems can be attributed to a lack of staff and he would be meeting with administration and teachers to discuss the situation, and believes that by working together they can be resolved. No one from the committee offered any comment.

Of the testimony given by educators Wednesday evening, that of Athol-Royalston Middle School teacher Max McPhee was perhaps among the most disturbing. McPhee has been the science, technology, engineering and math teacher at the middle school since March 2023.

“Next Wednesday will be my last day teaching because I can no longer continue,” McPhee said. While he sees his resignation as a disservice to his students, he said, “I have no choice but to resign.”

McPhee said there is a “crisis of morale” among Athol-Royalston educators.

“Students have called me a pedophile,” he told the committee. “I’ve heard students say, ‘I’m not serving detention with him, he’s a pedophile.’ I’ve also heard students say this about administrators. On Monday, a student asked out loud, ‘Who’s a pedophile?’ Another student turned around and pointed at me. The students have no idea of the seriousness of the accusation they are making.”

McPhee added that some students see detention during school hours as a chance to socialize, rather than as punishment. In some cases, students have refused to stay for after-school detention.

“I contact the home and I don’t hear back from parents half the time,” he said. “I provide this information to administration, but I have not always had follow-up. … If I’m calling and no one is responding, kids feel they can get away with anything.”

“Students are coming to school every day harassing each other, tormenting the staff, destroying school property,” Conway told the committee. “The culture in this district is being driven by the very intentional actions of some students and the reactionary, impressionable behaviors of many others because it is not being stopped. There is no accountability and the students know it.”

Conway asked, “What should the staff’s response be when a student says, ‘I got them fired and I am coming for you next?’ or ‘I don’t care what you say because nobody is going to do anything about it’ or ‘You are a pedophile’ or how about ‘I am going to kill you’ or — even better — ‘You should kill yourself.’ How does one work through that or even worse? Would you continue to go to your place of employment if you had to deal with that on a daily basis? My hunch is you would not.”

Conway gave the committee copies of the results of a survey completed by some 200 district staff — about 85% of all union members. Fewer than 20% said they were “feeling pretty good” or “having a great year.” Just over 40% said they were “neutral” and 37% described themselves as “on the brink” or “feeling hopeless.” More than 60% said they don’t believe the administration has the leadership and resources necessary to support teachers and staff.

“The message is very clear,” Conway said. “The staff are drowning. This district is drowning.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.