Santa Clara County staffing shortages leave teachers vulnerable to attacks from students, educators say

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Para educators for Santa Clara County rallied on Tuesday, they say staffing shortages are leaving them vulnerable to violent attacks from the special education students they work with. The educators are also at a standstill with the county over wages. 

The rally was held here in front Hester Elementary School, where many Para educators work. The workers say they aren't blaming special needs students, but say the County needs to address the safety issues they’re facing. 

Dozens of Para Educators gathered to call on the Santa Clara County Office of Education to hire more people. They say a lack of staff leaves them susceptible to violent physical attacks from the special needs students they serve throughout the County. One woman describes her own experience.

"In that situation, another staff called for help. It took three staff members to un-grip his hands from my hair. They had to put lotion and baby oil on his hands to slick them up to un-grip my hair," said Delia Klein, para educator and trainer.

Delia Kline says she’s been a para educator for nine years, working with special education high school students. She says the county released 60 para educators during the pandemic and the shortage is putting the remaining staff in danger. The union filed a complaint with the state’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration on November 7th.

"A lot of what I’m seeing happen, can be prevented if we had adequate staffing. I’ve had to choose between leaving a student alone, by themselves, when I’ve seen emergencies happening outside the classroom and supporting my teammate and protecting other students," Klein said.  

Para Educators are represented by Local Union SEIU 521. They’re also negotiating a contract in which the County offered them a 10% raise for year one, and a 7% raise for year two. The union says it wants competitive salaries, more staff hired and a three-year contract, but that’s not currently on the table. SEUI 521 says para educators are underpaid by 20% compared to other districts and County Offices of Education.  

"It is very important that we offer essential workers like yourself a pay raise, and it is very, very important that we keep you safe," said Omar Torres, San Jose City Council member from District three.  

"Because our Para Educators do not have degrees or specific certifications, they are treated and viewed less. As I would normally say, that is so messed up,"  said Christina Munoz, a Special Education teacher and former special education student. "We need to do more to support them, so they can support our students."

The union says this rally was held to bring this issue to the public’s attention, and they haven’t ruled out going on strike. We reached out the Office of Education but didn’t hear back from them in time for this report.