The school violence dilemma: Protecting the rights of students with disabilities while maintaining teachers' sense of safety in schools

Focus group interviews were used to investigate teachers' perceptions of school violence and their sense of safety in schools. Analysis of these data revealed that teachers perceived a discrepancy between their rights to maintain a safe classroom environment and the rights of students in special education to receive a free and appropriate public education. Four major themes emerged: (a) safety in the classroom, (b) disciplinary double standard, (c) limited disciplinary options, and (d) perceived tension in the educational environment. These emergent themes create a complex dilemma for schools as they are faced with balancing their duty to provide a safe working and learning environment with their duty to provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities.