Safety must always come first
The safety and wellbeing of educators needs to be taken much more seriously by everyone involved in education.
The union is hearing too many stories about the health and safety of educators being threatened or taken for granted.
And the antiquated and dangerously deluded attitude that abuse and harassment from students is ‘all part of the job’ needs to be extinguished once and for all.
In an era where the behaviour of more students is increasingly problematic, parents in non-government education view themselves as entitled customers, schools are expected to triage more of society’s most contentious issues, and the internet is used maliciously and with impunity against teachers by some students and parents, it is time for everyone in education to reprioritise safe workplaces for educators.
It’s time for potential dangers in schools to be assessed the same way as they are on a construction site, as urgent Occupational Health and Safety issues.
Dangerous student behaviour is a workplace hazard and must be assessed as such through properly maintained and disseminated behavioural management plans. Schools ignoring this approach need to be reminded that new psychosocial regulations coming into force to protect the wellbeing of workers require steps to be taken before dangerous incidents occur.
Things are upside down when educators who are the victim of threatening behaviour or physical violence end up on vexatious Reportable Conduct charges; when violence against staff is not met with immediate, firm action and made as important as the rights of children with serious behavioural issues; when staff are improperly informed about what issues their students face because of flawed reporting systems.
In one day, The Point heard of a veteran teacher who was ambushed, grabbed, shaken vigorously and yelled at in the face by a student and their school felt the incident was not sufficient for a behavioural management plan (BMP) to be put in place. “It only happened once,” was the response.
Once is too much. To fail to act is unforgiveable. Little wonder the teacher involved left the school.
Another educator was attacked during yard duty by a student with a history of violence. The student’s record had not been updated and the staff member had no idea of the dangers they faced.
There are reports of leadership at schools deleting details of poor student behaviour from their records, and of BMPs getting lost in transit when dangerous students switch schools, and part-time staff not being notified of children with behavioural issues.
Misogyny, harassment and violence against women
Just after we decided to make safety the focus of this edition of The Point, there were rallies across the country demanding action on violence against women after a series of horrific murders. An emergency meeting of Australia’s leaders was called to tackle “immediate, meaningful and practical action to address family violence”.
In 2024, an Australian woman is being violently killed every four days. Twelve days after 1000 people rallied in Ballarat to protest the deaths of three women in two months, there was yet another sickening murder in regional Victoria.
Not coincidentally, there has been escalating violence against female teachers in schools.
While political leaders debate what measures can make society safer for women, we can immediately make a difference for teachers in classrooms by tackling student conduct in the classroom.
Student behaviour has worsened since the return to face-to-face schooling after a period of remote learning during the pandemic.
In early April, a Monash University study revealed a “disturbing pattern of sustained sexual harassment, sexism and misogyny perpetrated by boys, signalling a worrying shift in gender dynamics within school environments”.
The Monash research found that male supremacy in classrooms was “rampant” involving “overt displays of authority and dominance by boys towards women teachers…” and outlined “a troubling increase in sexual harassment and misogynistic behaviour against women teachers and girls in schools”.
It’s no coincidence that IEU Organisers have been inundated with reports of harassment of female teachers, sometimes in the same communities where women have been murdered.
Reportable Conduct Scheme
The review into the Reportable Conduct Scheme has finally been delivered – nine months late – and it tinkers with a system that requires major changes. The RCS has wrought a terrible toll on educators and until it undergoes meaningful reform the union will continue to be inundated with RCS nightmare stories.
A student feigns a sex act in class, and the teacher who intervenes (out of concern for other students) finds herself as a result thrown into the Reportable Conduct Scheme grinder. A teacher is reported for grabbing a student about to run across a busy road. A staff member is reported for yelling at a student she finds breaking into her car. All these spurious investigations come at a huge cost to individuals, schools and the education system, and damage the mental health of innocent educators, as frustration, disillusionment, fear and mental trauma drives great employees from the sector.
In a system where the blameless, trying to do their job and protect students, get put up on charges, little wonder there is rampant burnout and a teacher shortage.
Our sector’s workforce is full of compassionate, giving people, who are up for the challenge of helping kids with issues. They live for it. But there must be every attempt to assist them with structures and systems and plain common sense approaches that recognise the unique pressures of school life.
All the above is why safety and wellbeing is the focus of this edition.
It’s what’s happening out there in schools. It’s what members are asking Organisers about. And when you think about it, feeling safe and supported in your workplace is a fundamental right, a non-negotiable.
If it is not being delivered, it becomes front page news.
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.