❓ A parliamentary question addresses the prevalence of assaults on teachers in WA schools, prompting the Minister for Education to detail new data collection methods and initiatives to address the issue. The Minister acknowledges the seriousness of the issue and outlines steps taken to improve recording, training, and collaboration with police.
AnsweredQoN 943Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TEACHERS — PHYSICAL ASSAULTS
I refer to reports today on ABC news that more than 280 school staff in Western Australia have been physically assaulted by either students or parents during terms 2 and 3 this year. (1) Does the minister consider it acceptable for this level of physical violence to be prevalent in our schools? (2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE
I refer to reports today on ABC news that more than 280 school staff in Western Australia have been physically assaulted by either students or parents during terms 2 and 3 this year. (1) Does the minister consider it acceptable for this level of physical violence to be prevalent in our schools? (2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(1) Does the minister consider it acceptable for this level of physical violence to be prevalent in our schools? (2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(1) Does the minister consider it acceptable for this level of physical violence to be prevalent in our schools? (2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(2) How often does the minister receive updates on the rate of assaults on teachers? (3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(3) Which specific measures has the minister taken to address this disturbing level of violence? (4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(4) Does the minister believe that her department should keep accurate records of the number and outcome of prosecutions that flow from these assaults? Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Dr E. CONSTABLE replied: (1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
(1)-(4) I am sure every member of this house would agree that any assault on any public officer is a deplorable act, especially on teachers in our schools. The information I have is that a new database has been developed since the beginning of term 2 and it is therefore very difficult to provide information that we can compare before the beginning of term 2 this year. Until then, any assault could include something such as throwing a paper plane at a teacher to a more awful incident that would involve police action. I can report that 133 student-staff assaults and three parent-staff assaults were recorded in term 2. There were 142 student-staff assaults and five parent-staff assaults in term 3. There is also a category of verbal assault, which was not available to us previously. In term 2, parent-staff verbal assaults totalled 14. That number increased to 23 in term 3. This year action has been taken to tighten up the recording of these assaults so that we can better understand which categories they fall into. Any assault, be it verbal or physical, on a teacher is deplorable and unacceptable. It is worth remembering that there are 779 schools in Western Australia, with 250 000 students, so it is not surprising that there are some incidents of this sort. Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : There are 500-plus physical assaults a year. Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
Dr E. CONSTABLE : We do not have that information. If an assault is deemed to be serious, principals are instructed to call the police as soon as possible. Two things have occurred in this area this year. The first is a partnership between the Department of Education, the police and the union, which are working together on this issue of assaults on staff. That is a very important step forward. Another step forward has been to improve the training for staff and principals in this area. The third area that I think is very important is that in the past few months a police sergeant has been seconded to the education department as a school safety liaison officer to provide firsthand advice to principals, staff and others as they require it. That facility was not available in schools previously. Where appropriate, principals can recommend exclusion of a student who behaves in this way. That is dealt with in the usual way. Previously these incidents were recorded by way of an assault box—anything from flicking a lacky band to a much more serious assault. Now we are defining these assaults so that we better understand that behaviour in our schools.
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