Pender County Schools expand crisis training as autism advocate pushes for similar law enforcement training

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County Board of Education approved a resolution on Tuesday, May 12th aimed at expanding crisis prevention intervention training for teachers and staff to deal with exceptional children and students in crises.

Board member Jason Spivey introduced the action item during the board’s meeting, calling the proposal a proactive effort to better prepare school employees to respond to students with unique needs.

Spivey said some teachers and staff members at each school already receive the training, but he believes expanding it districtwide is necessary.

“If there is an issue with a student and they’re in crisis and they’re having this issue, in that moment, it might not be one of those six teachers or three teachers walking by in the hallway,” Spivey said.

The proposal comes after New Hanover County Schools dealt with several altercations last year involving teachers and special needs students.

Brad Breedlove, superintendent of Pender County Schools, voiced support for the measure during the meeting.

Spivey, who also works in law enforcement, said training he previously received helped him recognize when a person in crisis was not a threat, preventing a situation from escalating.

“I was automatically, through that training, able to identify that this young man was not a threat,” Spivey said. “With that being said, that could have been a whole different world of things if I wasn’t able to read the cues and see the problem at hand.”

The discussion also drew attention to how law enforcement agencies interact with residents who have special needs.

Edward Bamberger, whose 37-year-old autistic son Edward Louis inspired his advocacy efforts, said he hopes similar training becomes more common among law enforcement officers once students leave the school system.

“When that student graduates and they’re not in school no more, like I said, it’s not going to be that kindergarten teacher who’s coming to their house when they’re 19,” Bamberger said. “It’s going to be that officer who’s not trained that’s coming.”

Bamberger said he has contacted several police departments across Pender County to learn more about the training officers receive regarding interactions with people with special needs.

He said departments, including the Burgaw Police Department and Surf City Police Department, have provided such training to some or most of their officers, but he wants to see more deputies with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office receive similar instruction.

“Now, Sheriff Cutler, the other day, the number is 30 of 120, he knew that when he talked, he knew he needed to work on it,” Bamberger said. “Since then, I’ve found out that 19 of those 30 are in schools, so that means the number is only 11 deputies that are in public dealing with this population. That’s 10 percent.”

Bamberger said he worries about what could happen if his son encounters an officer who has not been properly trained.

“As a dad, you’re trying to teach them the right thing — policemen are your friend, policemen are your friend,” he said. “But are they really your friend if they’re not trained how to deal with you, how to handle you on a bad day?”

The resolution directs district staff members to develop a plan for the expanded training program, with implementation expected to begin in August.

WWAY reached out to the Pender County Sheriff’s Office for comment, but had not received a response as of Tuesday night.