PROVIDENCE — Del Sesto Middle School teachers complained that the high school students in their building are so rude, noisy and disruptive that it is making it next to impossible for them to teach.

Jeremy Senser, a middle school teacher, told the Providence School Board last night that there is “a crisis at Del Sesto High School,” adding that the negative school climate is not only interfering with his ability to reach his students, but also setting a bad example for younger students.

Two years ago, ninth graders were moved into the Del Sesto complex, which includes Springfield Middle School. An elementary school is located in a separate building on the same site.

With the arrival of 10th graders this fall, Senser and other teachers said that the building became even more out of control, especially during passing times.

“It’s dangerous to surround seventh and eighth graders in such a negative climate,” he told the board. “I’ve seen a decrease in student achievement, in teaching and learning, even in parents’ ability to get into the building.”

Outside the meeting, teachers described a situation in which high school students roam the hallways during class time, talking loudly, swearing and speaking on their cell phones. Senser said he saw a female high school student being groped by a male student while several teenagers watched. When he tried to break up the gathering, the girl told him to get lost, using a four-letter word. When he asked for her name, she repeated the sexually explicit swear word, then threatened to beat him.

“The high school students have no respect for middle school teachers,” he said. “They don’t listen to us.”

“Teachers are starting to close their doors,” one teacher said, “and that’s a telltale sign that a school is in crisis.”

Meanwhile, middle school students feel intimidated by their older peers, especially middle school girls, who are subject to harassment from older boys, according to teachers. Senser said it is not unusual for older boys to burst into his classroom, looking for middle school girls.

“You can’t have a middle school in the same building as a high school,” said Rick Taylor, another middle school teacher. “Most of the research suggests that this model is wrong.” The middle and high school students not only share the same floors, they share the cafeteria, labs and other common areas.

And there are different rules for the two age groups. Middle school students are not allowed to bring cell phones and backpacks to class, while high school students are permitted to do so. As one teacher put it, “There is no cohesive plan” for the complex.

When the K-12 complex was created two years ago, the goal was to create a seamless education facility where teachers would nurture students as they moved from elementary to middle school and up. But middle school teachers say the real reason for the move was to ease overcrowding at high schools until a new high school could be built. That school is under construction and should be finished in January.

Steve Smith, president of the Providence Teachers Union, said he met with faculty members on Oct. 27 and again yesterday, and has requested additional administrative support from the school district.

“This is what happens when you have insufficient funds,” he said last night. “You make decisions that aren’t right for kids.”

After last night’s meeting, Supt. Donnie Evans said he was sending two administrators to the building this morning to help restore order to the complex.

Del Sesto High School made headlines last year when a group of teenagers staged a sit-in to protest the removal of their principal, John Craig. Evans restored Craig to that position after meeting with the students, who spoke of how Craig was like a father to them. But middle school teachers said Craig was so busy dealing with crises that he didn’t have time to patrol the hallways.

“This situation is no fault of the teachers or the administrators,” Smith said. “The complex was dealt a difficult hand.”