Confronting stories have emerged from within Queensland schools as the teachers’ union lifts the lid on the behaviour of children in the classroom.
Teachers are being spat on, attacked, and abused before having to teach that child again day after day, the Queensland Teachers’ Union says.
“When I hear it I am constantly surprised, and can’t believe this is going on,” union president Cresta Richardson said.
One teacher shared her experiences of a parent threatening her and swearing in her face.
“It’s definitely something that we’ve heard more of and it’s quite a concern for our members,” Richardson said.
Data shows the money spent on WorkCover claims for physical and psychological injury jumped by 21.3 per cent from 2022 to 2023.
That’s up 135 per cent since 2015, with around $81,000 spent on claims last year, and more than $70,000 spent in 2024.
“Our teachers and principals shouldn’t be the subject of verbal abuse or physical assaults,” shadow education spokesman Christian Rowan said.
The Queensland Teachers’ Union said much of the abuse was going unreported, meaning the issue could be far more widespread than it appeared.
“We’ll be working with the department and government as to what that looks like because this is not good for our schools,” Richardson said.
The Queensland government today launched a campaign titled “No Excuse for Abuse”.
“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,” Education Minister Di Farmer said.
“Unfortunately, we are hearing more and more stories about simply unacceptable behaviour towards teachers and school staff, and today is about drawing a line in the sand.”
