WORKSAFE ACT has banned year 7 and 8 students from attending classes at Calwell High School, following shocking revelations that staff are being sworn at, assaulted and subject to sexualised behaviour.
The Worksafe prohibition notice was issued to Calwell High School after inspectors found that teachers and administration staff were being exposed to violence from students on a daily basis.
In one incident recorded by Worksafe inspectors, a teacher suffered a dislocated shoulder, several broken teeth, welts to the lower arm and bruising to his back, while trying to prevent a student from assaulting another student. In the same incident the school’s principal was thrown across her desk.
Inspectors learned that vandalism was “rampant” at the school, fires had been lit on school grounds, there was regular drug use, and tools and scissors were “counted out” at the end of classes to ensure none could be used as weapons.
Teachers told inspectors they were exhausted, with one describing the school “like a war zone”.
The prohibition notice issued to the school said teachers were regularly taking classes of more than 40 students due to a severe shortage of staff and covid absences, with one class of 75 students being supervised by one teacher and one learning support officer.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) had raised the issue of staff shortages, oversized classes, and instances of occupational violence at Calwell High School last year, according to the AEU ACT Branch Secretary Patrick Judge.
“The action taken by the ACT’s work safety regulator is a damning indictment on the ACT Education Directorate and starkly highlights their failure to provide a safe workplace for our members and a safe school for their students,” said Mr Judge.
“Regrettably the situation at Calwell High School is not an isolated case. With the union receiving staff shortage SOS calls from school staff across Canberra on a daily basis we anticipate further interventions will and must occur.”
Worksafe says students won’t be allowed back to school until risks to health and safety caused by staffing shortages are resolved.
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