Anyone else notice a massive change in kids’ behavior since mid-COVID?

I’ve only been teaching since 2018 (grade 8) and I’ve seen some changes in students before, but nothing as intense as over the past 6-8 months. <br><br>Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a massive change in kids’ behaviors? I think it started going into last school year. <br><br>I’m seeing constant classroom disruptions, massive amounts of bullying, kids getting sent home for aggression, group fights, etc. All of these things happened before, of course, but now it seems like my school is falling apart. <br><br>When I first came to my school in 2018, we had a lot of students who were difficult and very needs-intensive. However, since we are an IB school, they were eventually able to shape up and work hard. <br><br>We had some behavioral problems, but they were mostly your typical stuff: kids talking out of turn, being slightly defiant, etc. <br><br>Starting last year, especially with our incoming 6th graders, we’ve seen a huge uptick in kids just completely disrespecting staff and other students to the point where it’s scary. <br><br>I’ve had kids cuss at me in front of an entire class and nothing happens to them, kids punching other kids in class and only getting lunch detention, etc. <br><br>I’ve also seen a huge decrease in parent support and parents totally excusing their kids’ behavior because “they’re still adjusting to being in school again.” <br><br>It’s absolutely insane to me. Not to mention that these behaviors are starting to bleed into the upper grades and now we’re having kids who used to be great act out in ways they never did before. <br><br>Anyone else seeing this?