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Among the parents who have been hit with orders was one who threatened to bring a weapon to school to attack staff, verbally abusing them and threatening to damage property, resulting in a nine-month ban.
Another school parent was slapped with a 12-month order after assaulting one of their child’s schoolmates.
A third sent barrages of emails and calls and was verbally aggressive to staff. Previous attempts at addressing the behaviour had failed.
Education Minister Ben Carroll said teachers and other school staff needed to feel safe at work. Credit: Eddie Jim
That parent turned up to a school event, intimidating staff and refusing to leave, and sent numerous emails demanding responses, putting a strain on school staff. They also emailed other members of the school community to raise concerns about leadership decisions.
The government has agreed to make changes to strengthen the system, subject to final consultation and cabinet approval.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll said teachers and school staff needed to feel protected and supported.
“The majority of parents and carers work well with schools to resolve any concerns. However, harmful behaviour affects our students and their education – that is why we are taking further action,” Carroll said.
A survey this year by the Australian Catholic University found more than half of the school leaders had reported threats of violence.
Parents and caregivers were responsible for 87.6 per cent of cyberbullying and 63.7 per cent of threats of violence, the survey found.
WorkSafe said it accepted 7246 injury claims in the school education sector in the past four years. Of those, 718 related to possible occupational violence and aggression, with 76 per cent for physical injuries and 24 per cent psychological.
But Australian Catholic University associate professor Paul Kidson said he believed the safety orders had made a difference by showing families that there were consequences for aggressive and inappropriate behaviour.
Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania general secretary David Brear said the bans were not being widely used in the Catholic and independent sector, despite safety being one of their staff’s biggest concerns.
He said too often principals felt they lacked authority to act without head office approval and corporate employers were not showing enough urgency in protecting staff.
Australian Principals Federation president Tina King said the safety order scheme gave schools a tool to intervene when less restrictive options had failed.
King said the number of orders issued since the scheme’s inception showed school leaders were using them cautiously when other mechanisms had failed.
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“They are a tool in a suite of other options available, be it trespass orders or personal safety intervention orders,” she said.
Justin Mullaly, Australian Education Union Victorian branch president, said safety orders should be extended to include all conduct on social media that risked school staff health and safety, not just limited to school-run social media.
Parents Victoria chief executive officer Gail McHardy said their focus was social cohesion, and recommended mediation.
“Every student has a right to go to school feeling safe and happy. Unfortunately, we live in a complex world; not every classroom is perfect all the time,” she said.
“When families enrol their child, they have a responsibility that they abide by the rules too.”
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