Australian Catholic University Survey reveals rise in attacks on school principals by parents and kids

South Australian principals are reporting attacks and threats by parents and abuse from students in significant numbers. See survey results.

Shalom College principal Dan McMahon. Picture: Paul Beutel

More than a third of South Australian school principals were physically attacked last year, while the same number said they had been bullied.

And, shockingly, it was the parents who were often the perpetrators.

A survey of principals found that 36 per cent had suffered physical violence and four in 10 had suffered threats of violence in 2022.

Around 2500 principals across the country took part in the Australian Catholic University’s annual Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey.

It found physical violence, unpleasant teasing, and cyber-bullying. were at their highest levels ever since the survey began 12 years ago.

While there had been a drop in offensive behaviour against principals during the first year of Covid, it soared in 2022, with more being subjected than ever before

Across South Australia, a quarter of principals said they had been attacked or threatened by parents, while more than four in 10 said they had been subjected to abuse from students.

Malcolm Elliott, a former principal and president of the Australian Primary Principals Association.

More than half also reported they were the subject of gossip and slander and three in 10 had been bullied online.

Australian Primary Principals Association president Malcolm Elliott said the results of the survey were both “disappointing” and “astounding”.

“Principals are having to take action to protect themselves and their families,” Mr Elliott said.

“There are certain legal processes school principals can enact.

“Some are issuing trespass orders.”

He said anonymous trolls were causing reputational damage online, as well as issuing threats.

“I have had reports where principals have been threatened with, ‘I know where your children go to school’. It’s horrifying.”

ACU lecturer Paul Kidson, who was also an investigator behind the survey, said parents had to stop this madness.

Paul Kidson, Senior Lecturer at Australian Catholic University. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“Parents need to lift their game,” Mr Kidson said.

“No-one should be subjected to that kind of behaviour.

“There needs to be a societal change.

“In any other workplace these parents would find this kind of behaviour objectionable.”

He said the rise of gossip and slander and cyberbullying was also coming under attack online, across all types of social media platforms.

“The largest proportion of that is coming from parents,” Mr Kidson, a former principal, said.

“People feel they are immune to being held accountable.”

The survey found one in 10 independent principals nationally were subjected to offensive behaviour, compared to one in five Catholic school leaders and half of government principals.

Four in 10 primary school leaders said they had been victims of abuse last year, while half of secondary school leaders said they had. The number rose dramatically in special schools where nearly three quarters of principals said they had been subject to offensive behaviour.

Mr Kidson said the abuse by parents and kids was contributing to the stress principals were under and along with a number of other factors including teacher shortages, the cumulative impact may see a growing exodus from the profession.

Last month News Corp exclusively revealed that the number of principals wanting to quit or retire early had tripled, with stress over the teacher workforce crisis adding additional pressure to the job.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the findings were “alarming”.

“You can see the impact of this in teachers and principals leaving the profession early, burnt out and worn out,” Mr Clare told News Corp.

He said he was trying to solve the teacher workforce crisis with the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.

“It’s not a panacea. It’s not perfect. But it’s a start.”

Shalom College principal Dan McMahon and pupils. Paul Beutel

PRINCIPALS FEAR SURGE IN KEYBOARD WARRIORS

It’s not physical threats of violence that are damaging principals and teachers, but online attacks from “keyboard warriors”.

Shalom College principal Dan McMahon, speaking as chair of the Queensland Catholic Secondary principals, said threats of physical violence weren’t as common as trolling and insults.

“I would suspect our members might not have as high statistics in the in those violent categories, but certainly the mental health issues are very real for all of us,” Mr McMahon said.

“Threats of physical violence are pretty rare – they happen, but it’s rare – but like everywhere, the keyboard warriors are a real problem for us,” he said.

“The people who will speak badly about individual teachers or principals or other parents online, and the reputational harm that does, has certainly increased.”

As a principal, he was acutely aware of how professional reputations can be tarnished if rumours were allowed to run rampant.

“That harms us.”

Mr McMahon said most problems could be sorted quickly and easily if principals were able to speak directly with the people concerned.

“Where people have fired up on an issue online, without going to the trouble of coming in and having a chat and saying, ‘look, this is this is my perception, this is what I’ve seen. Can you talk? Can you tell me about that or explain that? [But] the first point of call to dealing with an issue is to go online, which in 99 times out of 100 just adds to the problem is not helpful.”

Mr McMahon said he reassured his teachers to “ignore the outliers, the crazy extreme”.

“I advise them that, I advise myself that, but I know that’s an easier thing said than done.”

He said teachers were good at treating young people well because that’s the reason they become educators.

“We just don’t need a difficult job made more difficult by parents who go rogue,” he said.

Originally published as Australian Catholic University Survey reveals rise in attacks on school principals by parents and kids