Cops say ‘we all have a part to play’ after Tennant Creek High School teachers raise safety concerns

Police have called for the whole Tennant Creek community to pull together after teachers at the town’s high school reportedly complained they ‘feel unsafe at work’.

UPDATE, MONDAY: POLICE have called for the whole Tennant Creek community to pull together after teachers at the town’s high school reportedly complained they “feel unsafe at work”.

Superintendent John Ginnane said “we all have a part to play” in maintaining a safe environment for teachers at the school.

“There is a lot that can be done by the community and by the entire community, I mean the families of children attending school, there is work to be done, obviously, by the police, but there’s also a lot of work to be done by other agencies, both government and non-government agencies, to provide a safe environment,” he said.

Superintendent John Ginnane.

“Schools are part of the community, they’re an integral part of bringing our children up, and just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a society to create the environment in which teachers feel safe bringing up those children.”

Supt Ginnane said “none of this should be the sole responsibility” of the NT Police or the Education Department.

“There are a whole host of organisations in Tennant Creek whose purpose is to provide this support, my understanding is that support is being provided but it is a work in progress,” he said.

“So we need to keep working and keep providing that save environment for teachers, because if we don’t have a safe environment for teachers, our children don’t get educated, with the results that we see flowing on in later years.”

EARLIER: TEACHERS at Tennant Creek High School have unanimously signed a letter expressing that they “feel unsafe at work”.

According to the ABC, all 17 staff members at the school signed a letter through their union sub-branch, declaring that it was “a challenge to carry on”.

It follows the CLP this week expressing concern after it was revealed 26 schools across the Territory had attendance rates below 40 per cent.

The NT News has sought to verify the contents of the letter with both the Education Department and the union.

According to the broadcaster, the letter states that “conditions at the Tennant Creek High School have deteriorated to a point whereby staff are no longer able to maintain a safe learning environment”.

Education Department officials reportedly met with concerned staff after the letter was sent.

Australian Education Union NT branch president Michelle Ayres told the ABC that young teachers were “under so much strain”.

Reacting to these reports, NT Police Superintendent John Ginnane said there was “a lot of work to be done” by police.

But Supt Ginnane also laid responsibility at other non-government and government agencies and the local community, owing to Tennant Creek’s remote location.

“Schools are part of the community, they’re an integral part of bringing our children up, and just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a society to create the environment in which teachers feel safe bringing up those children,” he said.

“There are a whole host of organisations in Tennant Creek whose purpose is to provide this support, my understanding is that support is being provided but it is a work in progress so we need to keep working and keep providing that save environment for teachers, because if we don’t have a safe environment for teachers, our children don’t get educated, with the results that we see flowing on in later years.”

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