Teacher assault by SA students rises more than doubles in three years

TEACHERS are calling for extra staff to help keep them safe from violent children, after reports of students assaulting their teachers in public schools more than doubled in three years.

The number of incidents of students attacking teachers has more than doubled.

• Double number of students kicked out for drugs

TEACHERS are urgently demanding support staff to help keep them safe from violent children, as figures show that reports of students assaulting teachers in public schools have more than doubled in three years.

And on average each school year, a parent physically attacks a teacher on an almost weekly basis, according to Education Department figures released to The Advertiser.

Incidents of student violence against teachers doubled from 231 in 2012 to 469 in 2014, then rose again to 549 last year.

The department said more schools were recording incidents since an electronic reporting system was made available in 2009 and this “certainly contributed” to the increase.

But Australian Education Union state president Howard Spreadbury said there was no question teachers were facing higher rates of violence.

“Acts of violence from students and threatened violence from parents have become an issue,” he said. “This is partly a result of students with extreme behaviour and learning disabilities being in mainstream schools.”

“To be fair to the department, they have been putting additional resources in some schools where there has been an extremely violent student.”

He said those measures included fulltime school services officers assigned to particular students, but there was still a need for more support staff in mainstream schools and more places for students in special classes and special schools.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said 549 attacks by students in a single year was “disturbing”, regardless of whether more diligent reporting partly explained the rising figures.

“We clearly need to improve the culture at those sites (schools) which have seen an increase,” he said.

“It needs to be a safe environment for teachers, students and other staff.”

Education Department executive director for school and preschool improvement Anne Millard said 30 behaviour support coaches directly supported students and teachers.

“The safety of teachers is critical, and violent or aggressive behaviour at school is not tolerated,” she said.

“This is a highly complex issue, and schools are invested in addressing challenging behaviours demonstrated by students.

“School violence does not necessarily start in the school, with many challenging behaviours being learned responses influenced by the home and social environment.

“More schools are reporting incidents since the electronic system was introduced, which has certainly contributed to the growth seen in the number of incidents (recorded).”

Parents physically assaulted teachers 33 times last year, about one incident for every six school days.

Mr Spreadbury said that as well as physical violence, verbal threats and intimidation “can be just as intimidating and create anxiety”.

Ms Millard said any violent or threatening behaviour from parents was unacceptable.

“While staff make reasonable attempts to resolve conflicts calmly and amicably, on occasion parents or carers may become disruptive or aggressive,” she said.

“The department is developing a new procedure outlining the options available to site leaders when managing trespass and misbehaviour on their premises.”

Under current procedures, principals can issue warning letters and “prohibition notices” to disruptive parents, or contact police in the case of an immediate safety threat.

The department also works with police to deliver school-based crime prevention programs.