Taking a stand on the abuse, aggression and violence teachers and school leaders report they are forced to endure in the average day, the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) is now pushing a “My workplace is not like yours” campaign to spark community awareness and drive legislative change.
QTU vice-president Leah Olsson told EducationHQ that a groundswell of traumatised and fed-up teachers had been coming forward to share their harrowing experiences while on the job.
“Our members have reported to us that they have been verbally abused online, verbally abused to their faces, they’ve also experienced people spitting on them, shoving them, pushing, classrooms have also been trashed – these are just some of the things are our members are dealing with on a daily basis,” Olsson said.
Unlike in standard workplaces, where perpetrators of assault or abuse are usually immediately removed and do not return, a very different scene awaits teachers, she noted.
“Teachers often have to continue teaching with the abuser just minutes later or even for the rest of the year, yet the injury and the damage caused is exactly the same.
“I know some of these teachers and their stories really are shocking,” Olsson said.
ACU’s annual Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey, released in March, found 54.5 per cent of Queensland principals who took part reported experiencing physical violence at work.
The union is planning to release a selection of anonymous quotes from members highlighting the kinds of incidents educators across the state have been subjected to.
Under current workplace agreements, teachers working for the Department are banned from speaking publicly on such issues.
“It’s [featuring] five teachers, it’s only a minor snapshot of what’s going on. But it’s really clear that there’s under reporting which is happening, too," Olsson said.
Anecdotally, it’s well known that parents are also coming in and verbally abusing school staff, she added.
“They’ve also consistently put on social media posts that are threatening. There are emails and phone calls that have threatened our school staff as well – and it’s unacceptable.”
On Monday, the Queensland Government unveiled its new No Excuse For School Abuse campaign, which intends to tackle the occupational violence and aggression problem manifesting in schools.
Education Minister Di Farmer said the initiative was about “drawing a line in the sand”.
“If the average person knew what teachers put up with every single day in terms of occupational violence, they would fall off their chair, some of the stories that you hear are shocking,” Farmer said.
“This new campaign is ... making it clear that there is never an excuse for this type of aggressive behaviour, either in person or online and it won’t be tolerated.”
Lisa Broadhurst, a teacher at Sandgate State School who has experienced occupational violence, backed the Government’s move.
“I love being a primary school teacher and being a part of a nurturing state school community.
“Unfortunately, in recent times I have experienced or watched other people experience unsafe behaviours from students and parents.
"My school has worked diligently to address these concerns, and I know having this new campaign will provide schools with another tool to protect our school staff,” the teacher said.
But while the launch signals a shift in the right direction, Olsson said generating awareness was just the start of what’s needed.
The QTU want to see teachers, school leaders and TAFE educators defined as public officers under the Criminal Code Act of 1899.
“We are actually asking for an extension to the Criminal Code so that we can ensure our teachers and school leaders are in safer and more secure schools.”
“We want to let people know that teachers are actually human beings.
"I think the community really need to recognise that,” Olsson said.
Last year, more than 76,000 Queensland students were suspended for up to 10 days, with 3000 children excluded for up to 20 days.
As of March this year, workers’ compensation claim data revealed the state’s school staff have been paid $48 million for physical injury and $23 million for psychological injury in the last financial year.
But this Tuesday, following the release of the No Excuse For School Abuse campaign, one principal reported something of a win.
“He had a parent come into the office, who has been known to be threatening, and that parent actually apologised to that principal for their behaviour,” Olsson shared.
“We’ve got a teacher shortage right now and juggling workloads is hard enough, without the added trauma from occupational violence and aggression.”
