KEY POINTS:
The Post Primary Teachers Association has released an updated version of its anti-violence tool kit to help teachers implement policies to deal with difficult and violent students.
PPTA president Robin Duff said clear policies within schools and support on a national level were urgently needed to protect teachers from physical and psychological harm.
The updated toolkit was designed to help schools to develop and implement effective anti-violence policies and practices.
He said it was clear violence against teachers was one of the major issues affecting teachers' wellbeing and job satisfaction and schools were struggling to get the resources needed to deal with difficult student behaviour.
"Schools have been left struggling to deal with the consequences of the absence of co-ordinated policy making without the necessary resources."
Schools needed smaller classes, more resources for teachers and better student access to counselling and behavioural programmes, which the PPTA would continue to pursue, Mr Duff said.
Violence in schools also needed to be acknowledged by teachers and parents as a problem and not something to be concealed because of possible damage to enrolments or school reputation, he said.
In a worst-case scenario teachers had the right to withdraw their labour if health and safety issues raised with their schools had not been dealt with effectively.
"Taking action on these grounds involves a lot of courage but it sends a powerful message to all schools and society that threatening and violent behaviour should not be tolerated."
Mr Duff said the PPTA had also released a literature review on Best Practice Behaviour Management which highlighted difficult student behaviour as a major stress for teachers, and suggested teachers were working in a more threatening environment than in the past.
- NZPA
