Parent says child’s mental health declined over NT teacher’s alleged bullying

It’s understood a complaint about an NT teacher’s alleged bullying was investigated, which a parent says left her child “crying herself to sleep”.

A TERRITORY parent says her child is “crying herself to sleep” due to the alleged misconduct of a primary school teacher, which the NT News understands was investigated.

The parent, who did not want to be named, made a complaint to the Education Department earlier this year alleging her child’s teacher encouraged bullying and played favourites.

The NT News has chosen not to name the school to protect the child’s privacy.

The parent said one incident, in which the teacher is alleged to have suggested to other students this particular child was “toxic”, had resulted in her daughter’s mental health deteriorating.

She said her daughter was too afraid to go to school and feigning illness to skip, was convinced she was “toxic” and crying herself to sleep.

“Something’s happened to my child I can’t undo,” the parent said.

“She kept coming home and saying that the teacher was picking on her … it kept getting increasingly difficult for her.

“This (toxic) is a label she did not even know about until this significant adult labelled her and it led to bullying by other students and my daughter being too afraid to go to school.

How can I undo that when it comes from a role model?

“These kids have to negotiate life and it’s hard enough. They need to be nurtured at school, they don’t need to be labelled words I’ve never been labelled.”

The student has since been removed from the class but her mother says she has isolated herself from school and friends.

“I have a little girl who used to love learning,” she said.

The NT News understands the complaint was investigated. The outcome is not known.

Education Minister Eva Lawler said complaints were taken “very seriously”.

“The Department of Education … has processes in place to investigate matters raised,” she said.

“Having quality educators that support every child and student to learn and be safe and supported in their school is absolutely a priority for the government.”

Originally published as Parent says child’s mental health declined over NT teacher’s alleged bullying