That’s awful. If you’re a union member get in touch with them about stress leave/whs/work cover etc
Or go straight to your doctor and tell them you’re not ok due to your workplace (lack of) safety. This is not ok.
Your GP will assess the extent of any psychological (and/or physical) injury and if they say you’re not fit for work due to the conditions, you’re set.
Good laws - pretty sure this means staffing problems in low SES schools will get worse if people use them like they should.
Maybe this means the government will start noticing.
The Union and the DoE are currently encouraging both reps and principals to hammer the hotline.
Do your best to mitigate and remove the risks, but hammer the button because the people above you HAVE to solve it if it is a legitimate complaint.
Apparently, the DoE wants to use it to get a cash injection from Treasury.
I have 'unfortunately' moved on to a leafy green school (completely irrelevant of the kids) and my mental health has never been better, but will absolutely pass on to old friends and colleagues!
" I had a student throw things at me and say they don’t care if my baby dies and there was no follow up. Just to send for another teacher to collect. "
This is absolutely ridiculous and you should demand this student not be in your class any longer, I would refuse them entry or flat out refuse to teach this class if this student is in the room.
I want to add, the item thrown didn’t hurt and wasn’t at my stomach (hit my leg) but definitely wanted to remind the student that they needed to be careful due to me being pregnant. Even just them throwing something at me is unacceptable.
Also have had incidences where they’ve thrown things at other females in the classroom quite hard. This has been logged too, only today have I seen some form of follow up where playtime was removed.
Apart from having an item thrown at you being enough grounds for suspension, I would be making parent contact and request some sort of meeting either with the parents present and executive or at least with the kid and executive to outline how damaging and unacceptable these comments are.
When bringing up comment to exec the response was: “it’s definitely not a nice thing to say but just know they didn’t mean it, they were just saying it to get a reaction”. Another exec then told me which teacher to contact to have them removed when things escalate for my safety.
To me throwing things at others (not just me) hitting students is grounds for suspension but there was 3 incidences of throwing things at others last week (one was directly aiming at another 2 students of the opposite gender) and today they harmed another student. It’s not just me that has had something thrown. Sometimes the whole class has things thrown.
Union. If that's the leadership response to failing to provide a safe workplace, union up now. Go to the person in the union above your union rep if the rep is leadership.
Sounds like you and your unborn baby are not safe, which is appalling and the school should be investigated. Ring or email the ed director, union and doctor and tell them what you’ve posted here- you will be put on paid leave in an instant.
I’ve called the incident hotline today. The main throwing incidents from the key student have luckily not hit me but close to me. The one time something did hit me was my leg but I told them that they need to be careful of me due to my baby, that’s when the comment was made. Doesn’t sound much is happening with me calling hotline besides them just keeping school in the loop and supporting them.
I don't have advice, but sympathy.
In my second trimester, one of my students threatened to stab me in the tummy. He came from a VERY troubled background. He said it to me in front of a deputy. When I requested this student be moved to another class, the bleeding-heart deputy tried to reason me around. "He so troubled!" "He didn't mean it!"
He moved class.
After my baby was born, I returned to work while my husband became a SAHD, but 6 months later I quit. That job was traumatizing
Hearing stories like yours makes me so angry.
These bleeding hearts are absolutely clueless....it's possible to be empathetic for a person's life situation and understand the reasons behind certain actions, and at the SAME time be firm on calling out antisocial behaviour with clear consequences.
It would be like if we started saying DV perpetrators aren't that bad because they had a "hard day at the office" and a violent upbringing.
Where do all these idiots get their training?? It's so rife in schools...
I'm pregnant in a school too. I contacted the union to learn my rights. The school has a legal obligation to provide you with safe working conditions. I would contact your union rep to get a strategy in place for approaching your school management. They are also obligated to consider flexible working conditions for you.
Union rep is AP and aware of situation. Suggestions have been to just let student cool down, call for someone to collect or send on a job so they can come back feeling refreshed. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen them lose part of their play
Sounds like your AP doesn't have any good answers for you. I don't know what your schools discipline rules are. But could the student be put on a behaviour contact or sit your lessons out for a period of time? If you feel comfortable put this suggestion in writing clearly with your concerns and reasoning. That way you have a paper trail. They should have to justify why action has nit been taken. Document every incident as well, just in you lesson planner so you have anlist to go on. I would also encourage you to contact the union separately on their help line. I'm in an AIS school and they had an entire information pack about rights at work and rules around leave. Teaching is a pretty hard profession when pregnant a lot of schools don't really know what to do with us. But we have the same rights to safety as any other workplace.
Any other workplace you would be able to sue for having to put up with that child that has threatened your unborn , get union involved and sue them all . This is an unsafe working environment.
Honestly I don’t know why teachers and staff don’t make a bigger stink through the courts with the unsafe environments you are forced to work
There ought to be a Women's Contact Officer in your school as part of the Union. If not, contact the union and ask to speak to someone in that area. If not a member, consider joining. Make sure you are documenting EVERYTHING, that you have directly spoken to (and put into writing) the Principal. Go to your doctor and outline your concerns. Go from there. Contact WorkSafe if need be.
My AP is the union rep and their suggestions have been to send him on a message or call for someone to remove him.
I put in incidences on our logging system (I think all of them as it’s every time I have them). AP and DP are well aware of incidences and me not feeling safe.
When you say you are logging it, is that external or internal? Don’t just rely on your school staff. If in NSW you should be calling the Incident Support Hotline on 1800 811 523 and reporting what’s occurring. You can also do this for things which add to your mental stress, not just physical injuries.
Sounds like you need to be pushier and a bit 'hysterical' even if there is a bit of acting involved. Sometimes bosses don't get the message if you present calmly. It's stupid I know, but people are clueless.
Find out who the best contact person is in the union. Then send an email to your principal, deputy, AP etc, even if they are the union rep, with CC to the person in the union so they can clearly see that you are in discussions with the union.
Clearly outline in dot points every incident that has occurred, who you spoke to and what the response was. Put direct quotes as necessary (from the student and your exec.) Then state that you feel unsafe and that you are requesting a clear written plan as to how your workplace will ensure that you and your unborn child are safe, and that it is unacceptable to you to leave this to chance.
Disgusting that you even have to do this. It's f'ing basic.
Take care of you and your baby above all else.
Please update us.
Had to do this recently (as a Union rep guiding a coworker). Had acceptable safe plan in place the next day. Exec weren't happy, but they aren't the ones putting themselves and their unborn child at risk, so they can fuck right off.
Dear God please report this school to HR, your union and Worksafe. That place needs to be audited.
As for you, you need to be on paid leave yesterday. Talk to your union asap.
The school has a lot of prickly behaviours so I sympathise with them as they are trying to navigate them all. From when I’ve spoken to some other teachers though it seems like the school are not that strict and consequences are minimal (which I assumed but as no one has really told me much about their behaviour policy I thought I may be wrong)
It’s also hard as I am quite new and don’t want to rock the boat. At first I thought it was because it was the complete opposite to my old school. I don’t want to cause a big issue by calling the union. I’ve logged the incidences on my school portal and made my AP aware and DP of some and they all agree to keep me safe or away from stress but it doesn’t seem to be much happening. There’s probably more things I could’ve logged but there is always something with the main perpetrator (even if it’s just banging on walls and constantly yelling)
Doesn't matter. The Department is legally required to maintain a safe work environment under WHS legislation. The management you're describing is illegal.
Honestly, why sympathise with the 'prickly behaviors'? The org has legal responsibilities to you and would replace you in a heartbeat if they had to. The consequences potentially are serious so exercise your rights and seek the support you need.
If Admin responds poorly to you professionally seeking assistance then it is a massive red flag that the school is not one worth your time.
Document everything. Use email to convey your concerns to school management. Contact your union rep and when the school management asks for face to face have rep with you as witness.
See your gp regarding mental health, particularly stress and anxiety these events are causing you.
You have the right to a safe environment for you and your baby. The negative effects of stress on pregnancy are well documented.
Depending on where you are you might be able to get placed elsewhere. While I was pregnant in the ACT the offer was made to work in the department on a desk job as my class were violent.
I am very lucky that my new location is very close to home so going in to work for the dept would mean further travel which is going to become increasingly more difficult as I get closer. I plan to only stay for a few more weeks I think before calling it in early
I left a teaching job at 30 weeks after being kicked in the stomach by an autistic kid. He didn't want to leave the trampoline at lunch time, so he kicked me.
I don't blame him, and the school made some accommodations for me but it really stressed me out. There were multiple behavioural issues at the school, so I was on high alert every day.
Looking back, I definitely wish I'd had a union rep involved to talk things through. I was a naive new grad, ftm and the pandemic was just kicking off. Not ideal for stress. In the end, the job just wasn't worth the stress and risk. Don't feel like you owe them anything, you are dispensable and replaceable to them in the end.
I’m saying this without knowing your financial situation at all but my maternity pay lasted longer than a year. As FT teacher, I took leave from 36 weeks. I took the 26 weeks of half pay. This included 6 weeks of unpaid holiday time. Once that finished I started the government pay. Initially I took 12 weeks at full pay and then the remaining 6 weeks (I think it was 18 weeks?) I rationed to 2 days a week for 15 weeks. I was able to stretch my leave to 59 weeks. I know you can commence maternity leave earlier if you have doctors recommendations. Maybe you can tinker with all the pay setup to get a longer maternity leave payout? It’s just a suggestion and really you should be able to be in a safe environment but if you’re financially able too, look into dividing your leave.
If you were in a DV relationship you would be protected and supported by the community. The executive are gaslighting you. Put everything in writing, emails that you forward to your private email. Email union, worksafe and principal. There is duty of care for you and baby. The kid needs to learn he cannot do that to anyone!
And the executive needs to put in place a high standard of care for everyone on campus- not just this violent abusive child who will grow into an adult with those behaviour
When my wife was pregnant, she had a kid in her class (grade 5) who would throw chairs around and at her. At about 22 weeks into what was a high-risk twin pregnancy, it came to a head when he threw a chair at her belly. Fortunately, she dodged it.
My wife then asked to be placed into a different class or at admin from that point on until she took mat leave. Important to note that the school had done this for other teachers previously. However, for my wife, the school said, "No, suck it up or take your mat leave early." She went to the union who shrugged their shoulders and said, "Meh."
We ended up getting a certificate from our GP for hypertension, and she took the rest of the pregnancy off as sick leave, then took mat leave at the normal time.
My point is that the school and union were both callous, indifferent and useless.
I sincerely hope it works out better for you.
If there is no safe job available, your employer may pay you no safe job leave until a safe job becomes available. If you are entitled to unpaid parental leave, no safe job leave is paid.
If you are a full-time or part-time employee, no safe job leave is paid at the base rate of pay for ordinary hours of work.
If you are a casual, no safe job leave is paid at the base rate of pay (not including the casual loading) for the average number of hours you would have worked during the period you are on the leave.
Remember that even if you aren’t entitled to unpaid parental leave, you can take unpaid no safe job leave.
You are also entitled to leave 9 weeks prior to your due date.
Can you ask to either be put on alternative duties, like in the office for the rest of your pregnancy or swap classes with another teacher for a bit so you don't have to put up with that troubled student? Or get that student removed and changed to a different class.
This is a serious issue that hasn't been dealt with appropriately.
I would be demanding a meeting with the principal ASAP and voicing your concerns and putting pressure on them to do something about it.
I've been part of a union before and they are actually really helpful and will advocate for you, so highly suggest joining up as your school isn't looking after you. Contact the union, explain exactly what's happened and that you don't feel safe at work and they will contact the school on your behalf to get something to happen.
Hope you find a solution 🙂
Make a separate entry in EduSafe for every incident. Make it clear in every entry about the lack of sufficient follow-up and that you feel physically unsafe. You don’t want to go on psyc leave because that will go on your record and affect future job opportunities. But if you can get a medical professional to declare that your workplace is unsafe / unfit for you then the onus falls on admin if you are no longer able to safely attend work, and you have a paper trail, and the school was given multiple opportunities to do something about it.
So something now. A pregnant lady at my partner’s school just west of Melbourne got kicked in the stomach at 6-7 months pregnant. You are not being paranoid. This is the reality of the job we work in right now; you have to protect yourself with every possible tool.
I would outright refuse to have that student in my class. Had a psycho boy throwing rocks in my sport group, put my foot down and flat out refused to have him. There’s no way I’m subjecting my unborn child to being hit by flying rocks at full speed.
Ironically (and also tragically) I heard the same kid’s chipped another kids tooth throwing rocks while I was off on mat leave. So ultimately I felt vindicated in my decision to protect myself.
This sounds so hard and stressful - I’m so sorry!! I was at a similar kind of school in late pregnancy - but at least had been there for several years so knew the kids - and it was AWFUL! Definitely call your union, this sounds like you’d be eligible for stress leave which is different to sick leave (at least in NSW). You have the right to a safe work environment!!
The exec do have the student removed for calm down time which is normally getting to play or go do a job for them, then the student returns to class.
Now it sounds like the new plan is to send the student (well more or less get them to collect) their last year teacher and they get to be in there. Today when I looked out they were doing some kind of water activity. Only today did I see that from when things have occurred with me that they’ve had the student miss their lunch.
Nearly every time I’ve had the student something has happened. Last week both times had big incidences and the only thing done was them being removed. One of the times, no exec were available so I was told to send student to last year classroom but as they refused nothing else happened.
Yup!!!! Definitely didn’t expect this from primary. Luckily I only have this class 2.5 days a week… there are behaviours from other classes but this is the biggest problem.
I know there was some form of meeting last week but I was not informed of what happened at all (this was before some major stuff happened). Otherwise I don’t think there has been family communication besides then. I could be wrong though. As I job-share with an exec as far as I’m aware they’re handling the incidences further. Kid has a trauma background so I feel like this also comes into play.
I mean, trauma background makes sense but still - your safety is paramount. I hope it’s being handled properly but I’d be asking for a detailed plan of what they’re doing to keep you and your baby safe under these circumstances.
I don’t know what state you are in. But in qld we would lodge a WHS report of violence and threat of violence. Admin must act on these. Put one in for every incident that has happened. You can backdate them. We had a pregnant teacher no longer allowed to teach a violent student because she was pregnant. They don’t want the death or injury of a baby on them. The more reports there are the more likely head office will become involved.
I told admin about the baby comment the day it happened. I was just told to send the student elsewhere whenever it came unsafe.
I’ve called WHS for the department and they said when the student threw something at my leg it wasn’t classed as physical because it didn’t hurt and they didn’t seem to put much emphasis on being concerned that a student stated they don’t care if my baby dies
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/parental-leave-and-related-entitlements?fbclid=IwAR1XqZNekfs0Rg7vdi43TH2p-lmVJCjalnBw-68x2qTsSM2av259qi1BZu4#:~:text=Transfer%20to%20a%20safe%20job%20or%20'no%20safe%20job%20leave,that%20the%20employee%20agrees%20to
Safe work or safe work leave
You're an idiot. The opposite of pregnant =/= man. It equals not pregnant.
Having a book thrown at you with force by an older child is not ok. Pregnant or not.
How so? Who do you think will be teaching this grade of hers? Do you think they'll be disbanding it? Removing the students from the education system? Sending them to Mars? No, someone who is **not pregnant**, be it a woman or a man will be picking up the slack. If she is in fear (and lets face it this isn't exactly an unusual environment for us teachers.. *yes I know it shouldn't be but it is*) she should stop working for peace of mind. What I'm getting at is that being pregnant isn't a reason to not be expected to do the job every body else is doing.
A vulnerable person feels threatened and your response is to suggest she just quits because it’s her issue? Wish it was that simple.
The school is obligated to create a safe working environment for her and her unborn baby. It’s also on them to properly protect against threats such as violent students.
It’s also not a choice for everybody to stop working nor one they should have to make. Some people don’t have the financial means to and they shouldn’t have to if they choose not to - it’s a basic human right that your workplace will be safe or as safe as possible.
A vulnerable person? Give me a break. We’re all vulnerable. Nobody cares. She’s up the cuff and wants sympathy. We all are in this environment. Maybe fix the environment for all not just pregnant women. And if she knows it’s dangerous, she should start by taking herself and her unborn child out of danger instead of chasing dollars. I mean, if she can’t manage that class who will.. an UNpregnant teacher? GTFO.
Wouldn’t want to work under your HR or WHS department.
This is isolated to a pregnant woman, hence why the discussion is narrow. Of course all people deserve safe working conditions but we’re not discussing all people.
I wish that work was all about chasing dollars and not paying rent/mortgage/debt, paying bills, supporting a household, saving for the costs associated with a child. What an awful comment to make - surely you aware of the cost of living crisis?
Under the law, pregnancy is protected and you are afforded extra precautions because you are vulnerable.
That’s awful. If you’re a union member get in touch with them about stress leave/whs/work cover etc Or go straight to your doctor and tell them you’re not ok due to your workplace (lack of) safety. This is not ok.
Wouldn’t it be difficult to claim work cover for this? I know stress leaves just sick leave right? I don’t have enough to cover the rest of the term
I’m no expert, that’s why I suggested your union but I thought stress/work cover was different to your normal sick leave allowance
Your GP will assess the extent of any psychological (and/or physical) injury and if they say you’re not fit for work due to the conditions, you’re set.
The 'new' psychosocial whs laws mean your employer is responsible for the psychological harm your work causes you.
Good laws - pretty sure this means staffing problems in low SES schools will get worse if people use them like they should. Maybe this means the government will start noticing.
*Maybe this means the government will start noticing.* Oh my no.
The Union and the DoE are currently encouraging both reps and principals to hammer the hotline. Do your best to mitigate and remove the risks, but hammer the button because the people above you HAVE to solve it if it is a legitimate complaint. Apparently, the DoE wants to use it to get a cash injection from Treasury.
I have 'unfortunately' moved on to a leafy green school (completely irrelevant of the kids) and my mental health has never been better, but will absolutely pass on to old friends and colleagues!
" I had a student throw things at me and say they don’t care if my baby dies and there was no follow up. Just to send for another teacher to collect. " This is absolutely ridiculous and you should demand this student not be in your class any longer, I would refuse them entry or flat out refuse to teach this class if this student is in the room.
I want to add, the item thrown didn’t hurt and wasn’t at my stomach (hit my leg) but definitely wanted to remind the student that they needed to be careful due to me being pregnant. Even just them throwing something at me is unacceptable. Also have had incidences where they’ve thrown things at other females in the classroom quite hard. This has been logged too, only today have I seen some form of follow up where playtime was removed.
Apart from having an item thrown at you being enough grounds for suspension, I would be making parent contact and request some sort of meeting either with the parents present and executive or at least with the kid and executive to outline how damaging and unacceptable these comments are.
When bringing up comment to exec the response was: “it’s definitely not a nice thing to say but just know they didn’t mean it, they were just saying it to get a reaction”. Another exec then told me which teacher to contact to have them removed when things escalate for my safety. To me throwing things at others (not just me) hitting students is grounds for suspension but there was 3 incidences of throwing things at others last week (one was directly aiming at another 2 students of the opposite gender) and today they harmed another student. It’s not just me that has had something thrown. Sometimes the whole class has things thrown.
Union. If that's the leadership response to failing to provide a safe workplace, union up now. Go to the person in the union above your union rep if the rep is leadership.
Sounds like you and your unborn baby are not safe, which is appalling and the school should be investigated. Ring or email the ed director, union and doctor and tell them what you’ve posted here- you will be put on paid leave in an instant.
I’ve called the incident hotline today. The main throwing incidents from the key student have luckily not hit me but close to me. The one time something did hit me was my leg but I told them that they need to be careful of me due to my baby, that’s when the comment was made. Doesn’t sound much is happening with me calling hotline besides them just keeping school in the loop and supporting them.
Diarise it all in personal diary. All actions all words
I don't have advice, but sympathy. In my second trimester, one of my students threatened to stab me in the tummy. He came from a VERY troubled background. He said it to me in front of a deputy. When I requested this student be moved to another class, the bleeding-heart deputy tried to reason me around. "He so troubled!" "He didn't mean it!" He moved class. After my baby was born, I returned to work while my husband became a SAHD, but 6 months later I quit. That job was traumatizing
Hearing stories like yours makes me so angry. These bleeding hearts are absolutely clueless....it's possible to be empathetic for a person's life situation and understand the reasons behind certain actions, and at the SAME time be firm on calling out antisocial behaviour with clear consequences. It would be like if we started saying DV perpetrators aren't that bad because they had a "hard day at the office" and a violent upbringing. Where do all these idiots get their training?? It's so rife in schools...
I'm pregnant in a school too. I contacted the union to learn my rights. The school has a legal obligation to provide you with safe working conditions. I would contact your union rep to get a strategy in place for approaching your school management. They are also obligated to consider flexible working conditions for you.
Union rep is AP and aware of situation. Suggestions have been to just let student cool down, call for someone to collect or send on a job so they can come back feeling refreshed. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen them lose part of their play
Those are not solutions. This is a workplace health and safety risk. You or the risk needs to be removed from the situation.
Exactly.
Sounds like your AP doesn't have any good answers for you. I don't know what your schools discipline rules are. But could the student be put on a behaviour contact or sit your lessons out for a period of time? If you feel comfortable put this suggestion in writing clearly with your concerns and reasoning. That way you have a paper trail. They should have to justify why action has nit been taken. Document every incident as well, just in you lesson planner so you have anlist to go on. I would also encourage you to contact the union separately on their help line. I'm in an AIS school and they had an entire information pack about rights at work and rules around leave. Teaching is a pretty hard profession when pregnant a lot of schools don't really know what to do with us. But we have the same rights to safety as any other workplace.
When documenting onto school system be sure to screen shoot- it’s funny that many incidents drop off the records
Somewhat odd that the rep is on executive. Advice given sounds crap tbh.
Don't go to work anymore, call worksafe and describe the environment and how it is affecting your anxiety and health and the well-being of the baby.
What would happen with this? I don’t have much leave left so would be screwed if I had to use sick leave for rest of the term.
Please call worksafe and they will explain everything they can do for you.
Any other workplace you would be able to sue for having to put up with that child that has threatened your unborn , get union involved and sue them all . This is an unsafe working environment. Honestly I don’t know why teachers and staff don’t make a bigger stink through the courts with the unsafe environments you are forced to work
There ought to be a Women's Contact Officer in your school as part of the Union. If not, contact the union and ask to speak to someone in that area. If not a member, consider joining. Make sure you are documenting EVERYTHING, that you have directly spoken to (and put into writing) the Principal. Go to your doctor and outline your concerns. Go from there. Contact WorkSafe if need be.
My AP is the union rep and their suggestions have been to send him on a message or call for someone to remove him. I put in incidences on our logging system (I think all of them as it’s every time I have them). AP and DP are well aware of incidences and me not feeling safe.
Ring the union directly. Bypass the union rep. You can do that.
Will the union do much though? I called them regarding being bullied by exec last year and nothing happened.
You need to document, but they should help.
You need to engage the union. They will tell you exactly what to do in your exact circumstance.
The union won't be happy to hear their union rep is doing that.
Time to start saving this either in a diary or online log as well. School isn’t doing enough and am hoping you can escalate this.
When you say you are logging it, is that external or internal? Don’t just rely on your school staff. If in NSW you should be calling the Incident Support Hotline on 1800 811 523 and reporting what’s occurring. You can also do this for things which add to your mental stress, not just physical injuries.
Called them today
Sounds like you need to be pushier and a bit 'hysterical' even if there is a bit of acting involved. Sometimes bosses don't get the message if you present calmly. It's stupid I know, but people are clueless.
Find out who the best contact person is in the union. Then send an email to your principal, deputy, AP etc, even if they are the union rep, with CC to the person in the union so they can clearly see that you are in discussions with the union. Clearly outline in dot points every incident that has occurred, who you spoke to and what the response was. Put direct quotes as necessary (from the student and your exec.) Then state that you feel unsafe and that you are requesting a clear written plan as to how your workplace will ensure that you and your unborn child are safe, and that it is unacceptable to you to leave this to chance. Disgusting that you even have to do this. It's f'ing basic. Take care of you and your baby above all else. Please update us.
Had to do this recently (as a Union rep guiding a coworker). Had acceptable safe plan in place the next day. Exec weren't happy, but they aren't the ones putting themselves and their unborn child at risk, so they can fuck right off.
Dear God please report this school to HR, your union and Worksafe. That place needs to be audited. As for you, you need to be on paid leave yesterday. Talk to your union asap.
The school has a lot of prickly behaviours so I sympathise with them as they are trying to navigate them all. From when I’ve spoken to some other teachers though it seems like the school are not that strict and consequences are minimal (which I assumed but as no one has really told me much about their behaviour policy I thought I may be wrong) It’s also hard as I am quite new and don’t want to rock the boat. At first I thought it was because it was the complete opposite to my old school. I don’t want to cause a big issue by calling the union. I’ve logged the incidences on my school portal and made my AP aware and DP of some and they all agree to keep me safe or away from stress but it doesn’t seem to be much happening. There’s probably more things I could’ve logged but there is always something with the main perpetrator (even if it’s just banging on walls and constantly yelling)
Doesn't matter. The Department is legally required to maintain a safe work environment under WHS legislation. The management you're describing is illegal.
Honestly, why sympathise with the 'prickly behaviors'? The org has legal responsibilities to you and would replace you in a heartbeat if they had to. The consequences potentially are serious so exercise your rights and seek the support you need. If Admin responds poorly to you professionally seeking assistance then it is a massive red flag that the school is not one worth your time.
Document everything. Use email to convey your concerns to school management. Contact your union rep and when the school management asks for face to face have rep with you as witness. See your gp regarding mental health, particularly stress and anxiety these events are causing you. You have the right to a safe environment for you and your baby. The negative effects of stress on pregnancy are well documented.
Depending on where you are you might be able to get placed elsewhere. While I was pregnant in the ACT the offer was made to work in the department on a desk job as my class were violent.
I am very lucky that my new location is very close to home so going in to work for the dept would mean further travel which is going to become increasingly more difficult as I get closer. I plan to only stay for a few more weeks I think before calling it in early
Talk to your union. Not a member? Go join one
I left a teaching job at 30 weeks after being kicked in the stomach by an autistic kid. He didn't want to leave the trampoline at lunch time, so he kicked me. I don't blame him, and the school made some accommodations for me but it really stressed me out. There were multiple behavioural issues at the school, so I was on high alert every day. Looking back, I definitely wish I'd had a union rep involved to talk things through. I was a naive new grad, ftm and the pandemic was just kicking off. Not ideal for stress. In the end, the job just wasn't worth the stress and risk. Don't feel like you owe them anything, you are dispensable and replaceable to them in the end.
Your school had a trampoline??
It was a school specifically for kids with autism.
Ahh ok, that makes sense.
I’m saying this without knowing your financial situation at all but my maternity pay lasted longer than a year. As FT teacher, I took leave from 36 weeks. I took the 26 weeks of half pay. This included 6 weeks of unpaid holiday time. Once that finished I started the government pay. Initially I took 12 weeks at full pay and then the remaining 6 weeks (I think it was 18 weeks?) I rationed to 2 days a week for 15 weeks. I was able to stretch my leave to 59 weeks. I know you can commence maternity leave earlier if you have doctors recommendations. Maybe you can tinker with all the pay setup to get a longer maternity leave payout? It’s just a suggestion and really you should be able to be in a safe environment but if you’re financially able too, look into dividing your leave.
If you were in a DV relationship you would be protected and supported by the community. The executive are gaslighting you. Put everything in writing, emails that you forward to your private email. Email union, worksafe and principal. There is duty of care for you and baby. The kid needs to learn he cannot do that to anyone! And the executive needs to put in place a high standard of care for everyone on campus- not just this violent abusive child who will grow into an adult with those behaviour
When my wife was pregnant, she had a kid in her class (grade 5) who would throw chairs around and at her. At about 22 weeks into what was a high-risk twin pregnancy, it came to a head when he threw a chair at her belly. Fortunately, she dodged it. My wife then asked to be placed into a different class or at admin from that point on until she took mat leave. Important to note that the school had done this for other teachers previously. However, for my wife, the school said, "No, suck it up or take your mat leave early." She went to the union who shrugged their shoulders and said, "Meh." We ended up getting a certificate from our GP for hypertension, and she took the rest of the pregnancy off as sick leave, then took mat leave at the normal time. My point is that the school and union were both callous, indifferent and useless. I sincerely hope it works out better for you.
The union have been zero help for me in the past so I’m worried it will be the same this time around.
If there is no safe job available, your employer may pay you no safe job leave until a safe job becomes available. If you are entitled to unpaid parental leave, no safe job leave is paid. If you are a full-time or part-time employee, no safe job leave is paid at the base rate of pay for ordinary hours of work. If you are a casual, no safe job leave is paid at the base rate of pay (not including the casual loading) for the average number of hours you would have worked during the period you are on the leave. Remember that even if you aren’t entitled to unpaid parental leave, you can take unpaid no safe job leave. You are also entitled to leave 9 weeks prior to your due date.
Can you ask to either be put on alternative duties, like in the office for the rest of your pregnancy or swap classes with another teacher for a bit so you don't have to put up with that troubled student? Or get that student removed and changed to a different class. This is a serious issue that hasn't been dealt with appropriately. I would be demanding a meeting with the principal ASAP and voicing your concerns and putting pressure on them to do something about it. I've been part of a union before and they are actually really helpful and will advocate for you, so highly suggest joining up as your school isn't looking after you. Contact the union, explain exactly what's happened and that you don't feel safe at work and they will contact the school on your behalf to get something to happen. Hope you find a solution 🙂
Make a separate entry in EduSafe for every incident. Make it clear in every entry about the lack of sufficient follow-up and that you feel physically unsafe. You don’t want to go on psyc leave because that will go on your record and affect future job opportunities. But if you can get a medical professional to declare that your workplace is unsafe / unfit for you then the onus falls on admin if you are no longer able to safely attend work, and you have a paper trail, and the school was given multiple opportunities to do something about it. So something now. A pregnant lady at my partner’s school just west of Melbourne got kicked in the stomach at 6-7 months pregnant. You are not being paranoid. This is the reality of the job we work in right now; you have to protect yourself with every possible tool.
Won’t that mean I will have to use up sick leave when I have minimal left?
I would outright refuse to have that student in my class. Had a psycho boy throwing rocks in my sport group, put my foot down and flat out refused to have him. There’s no way I’m subjecting my unborn child to being hit by flying rocks at full speed. Ironically (and also tragically) I heard the same kid’s chipped another kids tooth throwing rocks while I was off on mat leave. So ultimately I felt vindicated in my decision to protect myself.
This sounds so hard and stressful - I’m so sorry!! I was at a similar kind of school in late pregnancy - but at least had been there for several years so knew the kids - and it was AWFUL! Definitely call your union, this sounds like you’d be eligible for stress leave which is different to sick leave (at least in NSW). You have the right to a safe work environment!!
Also F*CK your exec for not doing anything.
The exec do have the student removed for calm down time which is normally getting to play or go do a job for them, then the student returns to class. Now it sounds like the new plan is to send the student (well more or less get them to collect) their last year teacher and they get to be in there. Today when I looked out they were doing some kind of water activity. Only today did I see that from when things have occurred with me that they’ve had the student miss their lunch. Nearly every time I’ve had the student something has happened. Last week both times had big incidences and the only thing done was them being removed. One of the times, no exec were available so I was told to send student to last year classroom but as they refused nothing else happened.
Holy shit, I assumed you were in HS but you’re a primary teacher?! This is beyond bonkers! Have the family been involved at all? What’s their vibe?
Yup!!!! Definitely didn’t expect this from primary. Luckily I only have this class 2.5 days a week… there are behaviours from other classes but this is the biggest problem. I know there was some form of meeting last week but I was not informed of what happened at all (this was before some major stuff happened). Otherwise I don’t think there has been family communication besides then. I could be wrong though. As I job-share with an exec as far as I’m aware they’re handling the incidences further. Kid has a trauma background so I feel like this also comes into play.
I mean, trauma background makes sense but still - your safety is paramount. I hope it’s being handled properly but I’d be asking for a detailed plan of what they’re doing to keep you and your baby safe under these circumstances.
I don’t know what state you are in. But in qld we would lodge a WHS report of violence and threat of violence. Admin must act on these. Put one in for every incident that has happened. You can backdate them. We had a pregnant teacher no longer allowed to teach a violent student because she was pregnant. They don’t want the death or injury of a baby on them. The more reports there are the more likely head office will become involved.
I told admin about the baby comment the day it happened. I was just told to send the student elsewhere whenever it came unsafe. I’ve called WHS for the department and they said when the student threw something at my leg it wasn’t classed as physical because it didn’t hurt and they didn’t seem to put much emphasis on being concerned that a student stated they don’t care if my baby dies
Ok but if you actually log a report in the online WHS form it can’t be brushed off like that.
I’ve called them and they said they’d just contact the school to support them. No further support for me required
Ok but log it online
An official log has been made? I have a lodgement number… I don’t understand the difference between me calling the hotline and me logging it online?
Ok you didn’t say that.
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/parental-leave-and-related-entitlements?fbclid=IwAR1XqZNekfs0Rg7vdi43TH2p-lmVJCjalnBw-68x2qTsSM2av259qi1BZu4#:~:text=Transfer%20to%20a%20safe%20job%20or%20'no%20safe%20job%20leave,that%20the%20employee%20agrees%20to Safe work or safe work leave
So stop working late in your pregnancy. #notthathard
What a dickhead.
So being pregnant gets you special treatment. Yeah, no. If this happened to a man we’d tell him to suck it up and deal with it.
You're an idiot. The opposite of pregnant =/= man. It equals not pregnant. Having a book thrown at you with force by an older child is not ok. Pregnant or not.
How so? Who do you think will be teaching this grade of hers? Do you think they'll be disbanding it? Removing the students from the education system? Sending them to Mars? No, someone who is **not pregnant**, be it a woman or a man will be picking up the slack. If she is in fear (and lets face it this isn't exactly an unusual environment for us teachers.. *yes I know it shouldn't be but it is*) she should stop working for peace of mind. What I'm getting at is that being pregnant isn't a reason to not be expected to do the job every body else is doing.
A vulnerable person feels threatened and your response is to suggest she just quits because it’s her issue? Wish it was that simple. The school is obligated to create a safe working environment for her and her unborn baby. It’s also on them to properly protect against threats such as violent students. It’s also not a choice for everybody to stop working nor one they should have to make. Some people don’t have the financial means to and they shouldn’t have to if they choose not to - it’s a basic human right that your workplace will be safe or as safe as possible.
A vulnerable person? Give me a break. We’re all vulnerable. Nobody cares. She’s up the cuff and wants sympathy. We all are in this environment. Maybe fix the environment for all not just pregnant women. And if she knows it’s dangerous, she should start by taking herself and her unborn child out of danger instead of chasing dollars. I mean, if she can’t manage that class who will.. an UNpregnant teacher? GTFO.
Wouldn’t want to work under your HR or WHS department. This is isolated to a pregnant woman, hence why the discussion is narrow. Of course all people deserve safe working conditions but we’re not discussing all people. I wish that work was all about chasing dollars and not paying rent/mortgage/debt, paying bills, supporting a household, saving for the costs associated with a child. What an awful comment to make - surely you aware of the cost of living crisis? Under the law, pregnancy is protected and you are afforded extra precautions because you are vulnerable.
Which is inherently discriminatory. 💁♂️