TTUTA: Safety plan needed for teachers

TTUTA vice president Adesh Dwarika says schools should ensure there is a safety plan for teachers, in the event a teacher faces a potentially violent conflict with a student.

He made the comment on the heels of last week’s viral incident in which a student was seen verbally abusing a teacher at a secondary school in Siparia.

In the video, the girl was seen shouting at the teacher and threatening her while other students looked on and cheered.

Dwarika said while the teacher was upset and disturbed by the incident, she has returned to work.

“She is fine in terms of coming back out to work. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was extended to her but she indicated she is not willing to do that and she is fine now.”

Dwarika said the incident highlighted the need for a safety plan for teachers since it could have easily become violent.

“I would recommend that schools that do not have any protocol for staff in situations like that, develop one. There should be discussions with the administration, the staff and the school safety officer or even guidance officer, so a safety protocol can be developed for the school.”

He advised any teacher in a similar situation to exit the class as soon as possible and seek assistance.

“The advice we would give to teachers, especially female teachers, is do not engage. We saw in the classroom no help was forthcoming from the students. So in a situation like that, exit the class and seek help from the school administrators, deans, security officers or school safety officers.”

He said teachers should also create a paper trail and submit a report on the matter.

“Record everything. There should be a report written to the principal and it should be forwarded to the school supervisory division but ensure to keep a complete record of the situation.”

While Dwarika was unable to say what actions were taken against the girl who was seen abusing the teacher, he believed she should face disciplinary action and be offered support.

“We requested, and I advised the dean, that the principal should apply for extended suspension and relevant assistance for the young lady, because we don’t believe in suspensions alone.

"We believe in remediation of the problem, so there should be a referral and a recommendation for the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) to lend the relevant support to the young lady.”

Newsday asked Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly if the student was suspended and if she received support from the SSSD. The minister has not yet responded.