Townsville teachers putting bodies on line to defend students from increasingly violent attacks

Townsville teachers are being offered counselling after another schoolyard brawl rocked a high school, with an insider revealing teachers are “putting their bodies on the line” to protect students.

Townsville schools and police have seen a rise in schoolyard violence. Photo: istock

Townsville teachers are being offered counselling after another schoolyard brawl rocked a high school this week, with an insider revealing teachers are “putting their bodies on the line” to protect students.

Two 16-year-old girls were assaulted in a malicious attack outside Thuringowa State High School on Monday that also injured a number of staff caught up in the fight.

It comes as a car full of teenagers allegedly threatened terrified high school students with a hammer and stole their valuables as they were walking to school.

A source has told the Townsville Bulletin school violence had become increasingly problematic over the past 12 months.

Police have confirmed it’s a widespread issue across Townsville.

“It’s more systematic of the youth of today and their attitude to other people; they just don’t care,” Kirwan Station officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Jason Brosnan said.

He described the assault outside Thuringowa State High School this week as violent, saying five adults, all school staff members, were also assaulted.

“One was pulled to the ground and struck her head on the fence,” he said.

“One victim was beaten to the ground.”

Kirwan Police Senior Sergeant Jason Brosnan.

Sen-Sgt Brosnan said the four suspects were all girls and were aged 15 and 16, but remained on the loose.

A witness of Monday’s assault, who did not wish to be named, said teachers “put their bodies on the line” to protect students.

“The girl that was attacked didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.

“They weren’t throwing any punches; it was a savage attack.”

A Department of Education spokesman said any situation that threatened the safety and wellbeing of students, staff or others in the school community was “treated seriously and dealt with as a matter of priority”.

“In response to an incident that occurred outside Thuringowa State High School after school

on Monday 10 February, the Queensland Ambulance Service was called to check on the

wellbeing of those involved and the Queensland Police Service was notified and attended

the school,” the spokesman said.

“Staff have been offered further support and assistance through the department’s employee

assistance program Lifeworks.”

Sen-Sgt Brosnan said the scared Heatley Secondary College students called police after the car full of teens pulled up and stole their possessions on Tuesday morning.

Three girls and a boy, aged between 12 and 14 years old, allegedly threatened the students with a hammer and demanded they hand over a watch and baseball cap.

The students obliged, and reported also seeing a knife inside the car.

A 12-year-old girl, 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old girl have since been charged with robbery, to appear in court on March 25.

A teacher has been filmed acting as a human shield during a brawl among students at Thuringowa State High School. Photo: Supplied

A teacher has been filmed acting as a human shield during a brawl among students at Thuringowa State High School. Photo: Supplied

Teachers and students at Thuringowa SHS have been subjected to similar violent assaults in the past. Last year, shocking footage emerged of a teacher throwing herself over a student who was brought to ground in a brawl, protecting them from a volley of kicks.

The Bulletin revealed shocking footage of schoolyard brawls was being splashed across social media, forcing the Queensland Education Department to step in and get the pages taken down.

“Again the attitude of the youth and social media, it creates this sort of rubbish,” Sen-Sgt Brosnan said.

He said police were not aware of any similar social media pages cropping up this year.

Queensland Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates said there had been a number of violent incidents in Townsville which were subject to police investigations and could not comment on them individually.

“One of the challenges is the community as a whole has become more violent,” he said.

“We’re working closely with the Department of Education to address the issue. There is no place in schools for violence.”

Originally published as Townsville teachers putting bodies on line to defend students from increasingly violent attacks