Measures to Protect School Staff from Abuse by Parents and Students
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns measures to protect school staff from abuse by parents and students, as raised by Dr Shahira Abdullah. Minister Chan Chun Sing stated that teachers facing student defiance are supported by school leaders who investigate incidents, engage parents, and mete out appropriate consequences. Regarding parent interactions, the Ministry of Education and school leaders maintain a firm stand against abusive behavior or threats to ensure mutual respect. In extreme situations involving harassment or safety threats, schools may seek police assistance or take legal action to protect their staff. These measures aim to provide a safe and supportive environment for educators to carry out their mission while partnering with parents.
Transcript
83 Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Education what measures do schools have in place to protect school staff from abuse by parents and students.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Our schools have established a good learning environment for students, where there is strong teacher-student relationship and respect for school staff. On rare occasions when teachers experience defiance from students beyond what they can handle, they are supported by their school leaders and student management team, who will investigate the incident, engage parents of the student, mete out appropriate consequences and enable students to improve their behaviour.
When engaging parents, school leaders and staff accord appropriate respect and courtesy, and the same is expected of parents in their interactions with our staff. Incidents of abuse by parents are not common. When parents use abusive words or threaten our school staff, MOE and school leaders will communicate a firm stand to these parents against such behaviour. In extreme situations where staff feel harassed or their safety is threatened by parents, the school may take further action, including calling the Police for assistance and using legal means, to protect staff from further harassment.
Parents play a critical role in instilling and role modelling the right values and appropriate behaviour in their children. Schools partner parents to develop our students holistically. We must create the right environment in our schools to nurture our next generation, where our educators and school staff feel supported in carrying out this important mission.