TEACHERS WALK OUT OF ‘TOXIC’ PRIMARY

Suzan Delibasic

Sunday Herald Sun September 8 2024.   Bolding mine

Five teachers have resigned from a Victorian primary school making allegations about a “toxic” culture, and saying the stress had taken a toll on their mental health.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the staff, who have asked to remain anonymous, claim to have endured months of “bullying”, “intimidation” and “extreme stress” from the leadership team at Jindivick Primary School.

Some said they had experienced panic attacks on their way to work.

They said their concerns had been passed on to the Department of Education and the Victorian Ombudsman.

A teacher who quit her job claimed the school leadership team had failed to provide a safe and ­inclusive environment.

“It got to a point where you couldn’t even say anything to children that were misbehaving including swearing at teachers and other serious behavioural issues,” she said. “Their (children’s) accounts of incidents were believed over ours.

“I also witnessed the bullying and toxic culture created by the principal and it left me ­extremely stressed.

“It’s not somewhere that I would encourage anyone to work in. I feel extremely sorry for what my colleagues have gone through.”

Several former teachers also claimed that principal Lara-Jayne Wilson, who was ­appointed late last year, had failed to support them.

Another woman, who has been teaching for almost 15 years, said she was forced to ­resign in July, claiming she was offered no support by the Department of Education or the school’s regional director.

She said her problems began when a parent made an ­“unsubstantiated” complaint about the way she had spoken to her child.

“The principal did not advise me of the complaint or communicate with me as to why the student was removed from my class,” she said. “I felt like I was kept in the dark.”

The teacher claimed it took weeks to secure a meeting with the principal and when they eventually met she was “given the impression that everything had been sorted”. She continued to feel “distressed” for months and felt Ms Wilson continued to “target” her.

“She would gaslight me and lie that staff were making complaints about me, but I would ask staff members about it and they wouldn’t know what I was talking about,” she said.

“It was seriously intimidating, and I felt so much anxiety driving to school every day. It’s taken a serious toll on my mental health and I even had an employment limitation, which prevents me from working in any public system, and that is still being investigated.

“I’ve provided eight referees who have provided eight written character references supporting me, but I’m still awaiting an answer from the department.”

A Department of Education spokesman said: “We’re helping schools tackle challenging student behaviour so that teachers can teach and students can learn in a positive and supported environment.”

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