Job duties are the same, but have intensified over time, and now my disability makes it near impossible to stay safe. What are my options?

Hi everyone,

I'm a special education teacher working at a private school in the US that exclusively serves students with severe behavioral disorders. This job has always been unsafe to some degree, but the circumstances I'm personally in are amping that up to a level that I just can't keep up with, especially considering my deteriorating hypermobility and arthritis. And I want out.

For context, I started at this school in this building about 5 years ago. I worked with middle schoolers about my size or smaller, and hands-on aggression was the norm (think slapping, kicking, biting, etc). Now I work with late high-school/young adult students up to 22 years old. Some of them are also just BIG people in general, in both height and weight. They're also a little bit more "mature" in how they act aggressively, although that's hard to discuss objectively. Lastly, the students put in my class are all known as "heavy hitters" in my school, so it's a pretty condensed group of the most aggressive in our bunch. I do have assistants in the room who are *more* expected to handle aggressive behaviors than I am, however I AM expected to intervene on some level (they require us to have specific trainings on restraints and seclusions so every staff member can be hands on). We're also warned to be aware of both our own limitations and the limitations of the restraint/seclusion programs we utilize.

All that being said, there IS an expectation for me to intervene in crisis situations, and due to differences in the setting, differences in risk exposure, and my own documented disabilities that are continuing to progress, I really don't think I can do this job anymore. Unlike a typical school system, we don't do annual contracts, so i can't just "not sign" paperwork and move on. That's a positive though, since I'm an at will employee as much as they are an at will employer. Also, I know that in THEORY they should be trying to accommodate me before I even consider quitting, however our class rosters are organized by support needs, and can't be adjusted. I could in theory be moved to an elementary/middle school classroom, but that would involve trading classrooms with another teacher and displacing everything they've set up/has been set up for them. I don't know how much my accommodations are allowed to burden my peers, and tbh I don't want to be "that guy." (Especially since, again, I want to quit!).

Now, I CAN work, and am actively seeking a new job. The job market is crap, but I'm hopeful. My question boils down to: is there anyway I can step away from this job for my own safety, get some bare-bones stipend so I can keep a roof over my head, and use that time to seek more appropriate employment? I've used short term disability with my employer in the past and also pay into long term. However, idk if I'm entitled to those benefits when everyone knows I'm not coming back. General disability/ssi from the government is (from what i understand) a long term/permanent solution for people who cannot work AT ALL, and again, I can and will be employed somewhere else. Maybe I could qualify for unemployment? It's not inherently my "fault" that my disabilities have gotten worse or that the needs of the school have changed, but it would have to be my employer initiating that process by terminating me. And I can't imagine starting that conversation with HR/my manager. "Hey....ya wanna fire me? It'll cost you more than It'll cost me!"

Anyway, thanks for reading this long paragraph through and I appreciate any insight you can give.

Random info that may be relevant, but I realized it mid-typing:

1. My disability info- Hypermobility (joints are too flexible and very prone to dislocation, plus inherent threat of soft tissue damage, and ongoing chronic pain) + osteoarthritis (cartilage is wearing away in hips and spine, excessive stress will hasten that process, while chronic pain gets worse). No mobility issues.

2. My students DEFINITELY have a documented precedent of breaking bones and causing serious injury to staff. No hypotheticals here.

3. Last but not least- you know who REALLY should be facing these questions? Who I should REALLY be talking to about all this? My principal, who is my direct supervisor! Alas, she is on a cruise somewhere and won't be back for a week. Our school is trying to get shit together NOW because the kids are coming. If I contact HR directly, I'm going over her head. I may have to do that, but I'm admittedly hesitant.