Worcester Schools Data Report Rise in Discipline Incidents

Worcester Public Schools has reported a year-over-year rise in discipline events, with increases in both suspendable and non-suspendable offenses. Officials reported this finding to the Public Schools Standing Committee on Finance, Operations, and Governance during the week of Nov. 10.

According to the data, fighting incidents rose from 199 during the previous school year to 222 during the 2025-2026 academic year. Physical assaults on school employees increased from 92 to 158.

The report also shows that overall suspendable events rose by approximately 22% and non-suspendable events by about 36% year over year. Some categories showed a decline, including physical assaults on students and nearly all weapon possession incidents.

Upon hearing from officials, Standing Committee member Dianna Biancheria requested a copy of the report, noting that schools need to prioritize safety enforcement.

“We're not looking to increase suspensions. We're not looking to say this student should be or should not be in our school,” Biancheria said in a statement shared within a Spectrum News report. “We're trying to find the best avenue to not only have them be successful adults [who] graduate from school, but be able to communicate with their fellow students without having to have violence be the only choice that they have.”

Given that the data doesn't differentiate incidents by grade or by specific school, Biancheria asked to see more specific data. She also felt that the district needs to train staff to be on the same page when submitting data about discipline incidents.

Spectrum News reported that Biancheria expected the Standing Committee to receive a more specific data breakdown in the days that follow.

In response to a request for comment by Spectrum News, a Worcester Public Schools spokesperson stated the following: 

“The Worcester Public Schools places the safety and well-being of students and staff as our highest priority. Everyone deserves to learn and work in an environment that is safe, respectful, inclusive, and supportive. We take any incident involving harm to staff seriously.”

The statement further noted that the district is taking steps to curb physical incidents, including enhanced staff training in violence de-escalation, behavioral supports, trauma-informed practices, and improved communication and support systems for staff and student safety and well-being.