Bullying claims made against senior Education Department official
STAFF at one of the state’s toughest schools — for youths in detention and other troubled teens — are demanding a senior Education Department official be banned from all its campuses because of alleged bullying.
STAFF at one of the state’s toughest schools, for youths in detention and other troubled teens, are demanding a senior Education Department official be banned from all its campuses because of alleged bullying.
An organisation representing school leaders says it is one of several recent cases of department officials bullying principals into tears and to the point they need to take leave to recover.
A dispute over staffing levels and class sizes at the Youth Education Centre, spread across three sites including the Adelaide Youth Training Centre for young people in custody, has escalated into an industrial stoush.
The Sunday Mail has obtained three letters from Australian Education Union state president Howard Spreadbury sent this week to senior department figures.
In one letter, Mr Spreadbury told chief executive Rick Persse the behaviour of the official had “led to staff being (psychologically) injured”, feeling unsafe and to “fear for the wellbeing of colleagues”.
The claims included “intimidatory” and “bullying” behaviour toward the principal “so that he will accept unworkable budgets that breach the Enterprise Agreement 2016”, and “negative and inappropriate comments about other leaders at the school”.
The union alleges the official has tried to impose staffing changes that they do not have the power to implement. It has demanded they do not visit any Youth Education Centre sites and not manage or contact any staff.
The Sunday Mail has been told that after staff rejected the official’s proposals, an abusive phone call was received by the principal attacking him and other staff, who overheard the call. The principal has taken sick leave.
SA State School Leaders Association chief executive John Gregory said it was not an isolated case.
“I’ve had too many of my members bullied and reduced to tears by aggressive senior officers. If a principal in a school did this (to their staff) they would be up for investigation,” he said.
Mr Spreadbury said the leaking of his correspondence was “unhelpful” and potentially “very, very damaging” to the hopes of resolving a “difficult and sensitive situation”.
A spokeswoman for the department said it “takes the safety and wellbeing of its workforce seriously and constructively works to resolve any workplace issues”.
Education Minister Susan Close told parliament this week she did not know the detail of the dispute and industrial issues were Mr Persse’s responsibility. Opposition education spokesman John Gardner was “deeply disappointed” Dr Close “refused to engage in the situation”.