- 'No excuse for school abuse' is the new campaign to tackle violence and abuse towards teachers and school staff
- The campaign is part of the Miles Government's investment in building Queensland's education workforce and valuing teachers and school staff
- The campaign will be run on social media, YouTube, Google and a dedicated website
The Miles Government's 'No excuse for school abuse' campaign to help tackle Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) in schools launched today.
The majority of parents and carers treat our teachers and school staff with respect, but this campaign is about drawing a line in the sand, making it clear to those who don't, that we will simply not tolerate any level of physical, verbal, or online abuse in our schools.
Teachers and school staff have a right to be safe at work, and it is up to everyone to get behind this campaign including parent groups, non-state and independent schools, unions, professional associations, principals, school staff, teachers, and the wider community.
The campaign is the first step of a raft of changes in the prevention of occupational violence and aggression in schools and will complement the other initiatives we have Put in place to support teachers and school staff as part of our investment in Putting Queensland Kids First.
We want to see teachers valued and recognised for the work they do in educating our young Queenslanders.
As stated by the Minister:
"Our teachers are among our greatest assets and there is no greater responsibility you can give another person than to hand over your child each day and ask to help make them a good and happy person, this is what we ask of our teachers.
"We are doing so much to not only keep all our great teachers, but to also attract and recruit new teachers, and we want to make sure they are valued and deserve to turn up each and every day to a safe and welcoming workplace.
"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.
"This new campaign is about drawing a line in the sand and 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.
"Teachers have been telling us that school environments are becoming more and more complex as they deal with things like occupational violence and aggression, student behaviour and administrative workload.
As stated by Greg Pierce, Brisbane State High School Principal:
"The safety and well-being of our teachers and staff is paramount, and occupational violence has no place in our schools.
"For a variety of complex reasons in this post-covid transition phase, my colleagues in secondary schools are dealing with increased levels of anxiety and stress from both parents and students.
"Teachers dedicate their lives to educating and shaping the future of our community, which is why we fully support this campaign that fosters a healthy and supportive environment where they feel safe and valued."
As stated by Lisa Broadhurst, Sandgate State School Teacher:
"As someone who has experienced occupational violence, I know firsthand the positive impact this strategy will have in schools – for teachers, leaders, support staff and students.
"We all want to leave school safely at the end of each day and we all want our interactions to be positive and productive.
"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."
