Violent assaults on NT teachers 'covered up'

SERIOUS assaults on teachers by students in NT schools happen every week and are routinely covered up, the education union says

SERIOUS assaults on teachers by students in Northern Territory schools happen every week and are routinely covered up, the education union says.

One of those attacked in their classroom had his leg amputated yesterday after it was stomped on by three teenagers.

The Education Department defended its response in the case of David Arnold, 64, who yesterday morning lost his leg in a life-changing procedure in Melbourne's Epworth Hospital.

Friends of Mr Arnold said he will spend the next four months in hospital recovering and claimed the department was more interested in a witch hunt to find out who leaked his story to the media.

As revealed by The Australian last week, Mr Arnold, a 2005 Teacher of the Year award winner, was the victim of an unprovoked assault by three students aged 13 to 14 in his classroom at Katherine High School in April 2008.

The school did not report the matter to police at the time.

Friends of Mr Arnold said when the department was informed of the impending amputation, its only response was a letter to wish him "good luck" with his injury.

The department's executive director of corporate services, Marcia Hoffmann, said Mr Arnold's case was "dealt with according to the policies and procedures applicable to the circumstances". She said a review had recently been completed into the management of students with extreme behaviours.

"All recommendations are being addressed. The department is committed to ensuring that all staff have a safe and secure working environment," she said.

Australian Education Union NT president Matthew Cranitch, who had worked with Mr Arnold on the teachers' union executive for several years, said the case was symptomatic of the deep-seated violence in Territory schools.

"I have got concerns that the assault on David was not directed to police, given the seriousness of the injuries to David," he said. "Sadly, what seems to have happened in the subsequent time after that injury is there continued to be an ad-hoc approach to dealing with these extreme behaviour incidents in Territory schools," Mr Cranitch said.

"We were heartened there had finally been a response by the government -- but that was only after a teacher was stabbed by a student in March of last year in Darwin."

Mr Cranitch said the violence was widespread and systemic.

"Just last week at the Centralian Middle School in Alice Springs, a rock was thrown at a teacher, which caused quite an extensive injury," he said.

Murray Waycott, a former teacher at Katherine High School who befriended Mr Arnold, said many students "enjoyed the power of fear they held over adults by the violence".