Bitten, headbutted, kicked: Queensland teachers subjected to horrific abuse from students

QUEENSLAND’S worst school attacks have been revealed, with teachers being subjected to horrific abuse by violent students and parents.

The Queensland Teachers’ Union say violence against teachers is on the rise.

QUEENSLAND teachers are being subjected to horrific abuse by violent students and parents, including being headbutted, bitten, kicked, spat on and attacked with weapons.

The details of dozens of assaults against teachers and school principals are laid bare in school workplace injury claims lodged last year, which The Courier-Mail has obtained under Right to Information laws.

According to the documents, two teachers, one working in the north coast region and another in Brisbane city, were sprayed in the face with classroom fire extinguishers.

A teacher from a southeast Queensland state school was struck by a student with an iron bar to the left side of their face, while another teacher suffered lacerations after being stabbed by a student with a one-inch dress pin.

The documents reveal teachers and principals are being subjected to death threats from students and parents, and students are using items like chairs, books and even whiteboards as weapons, hurling them at school staff.

Education Minister Kate Jones last night said she planned to ramp up the Queensland government’s ‘Respect our Staff’ initiative, launching a social media campaign featuring messages from cricketer Ian Healy and adventurer Phil Breslin designed to encourage the community to show more respect to teachers.

“I will not tolerate physical and verbal abuse of school staff,” Ms Jones said. “One claim attributed to an assault of a teacher is one too many.”

Education Minister Kate Jones. Picture: Jerad Williams

Queensland Teacher’s Union secretary Kevin Bates said violence against teachers was on the rise and school staff are often not trained to deal with aggressive confrontations.

“What we are seeing here is the tip of the iceberg, the violence and the assaults that are occurring is very concerning and it is time that something is done about it,” Mr Bates said.

“I’ve seen very serious injuries requiring months of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries,” he said.

Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association president Andrew Pierpoint said a zero tolerance approach was needed.

“We need to have a conversation about violence in our schools because it can’t be tolerated, we don’t tolerate violence in the workplace, and schools are a workplace,” he said.

Philip Riley from the Australian Catholic University, who runs the Principal Health and Wellbeing survey, said these assaults were happening in rich private schools as well as state schools in disadvantaged areas.

“It is just ubiquitous, I think it is time for a whole of government response to this,” he said.

Associate Professor Riley said his research shows the problem is getting worse every year and both parents and students are equally as responsible for the violence.

“It is very urgent we take action, we have to draw a line in the sand and let the community know this is not acceptable,” he said.

A former Queensland principal has described the frightening time he was attacked by an ex-student who came onto school grounds and pinned him against a wall, striking his face and leaving him with a bloody jaw and nose.

“He pushed me in the chest and I didn’t react, he swung a punch and hit me in the mouth, and there was some blood, he tried to headbutt me, and there was a bit more blood on nose and forehead,” he said.

“He was bigger than me and I couldn’t get around him, there was nowhere behind me to go and he had me,” he said.

THE WORST OF THE TEACHER ATTACKS

— Attacked by student, pushed against wall, throat held in strangle hold, multiple punches to head and body (Far North Queensland)

— Struck with iron bar to the left side of face by student (South East Queensland)

— Spat on in the face by a parent on school grounds (Central Queensland)

— 14-year-old male student bit through a teacher’s jumper, puncturing their abdomen (North Coast region)

— Student threw an object, and sprayed a fire extinguisher at victim’s face (Metropolitan Brisbane)

— Threatened with a knife by student (Central Queensland)

— Student threw a whiteboard at a teacher (Metropolitan Brisbane)

— Victim was hit with a hard rock by a student (South East Queensland)

— Student brought weapon to school and made death threats (Darling Downs)

— Car stolen and house broken into (Far North Queensland)