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Graeme Mccann - Source: Close Up -
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The Secondary Principals Council admits it was only a matter of time before an incident occurred like the stabbing of a teacher at Avondale College in Auckland on Tuesday.
Chairman Graeme Macann says schools can never be prepared for such an event, although with over 2000 people on site "all sorts of things are possible".
"This would certainly catch a principal and he would be digging deep," Macann told Close Up.
But he says principals would be working from "a very competent base" and schools know that from time to time they will have to deal with traumatic incidents.
And while acknowledging it was inevitable something like this was going to happen, Macann says it is important to realise events of this type are still incredibly rare and schools do a great job to keep students and staff as safe as they can.
People have been saying for some time that schools could not remain a sanctuary for whatever else is going on in our society, Macann says.
He says police officers, counsellors, truancy officers and other non-teaching staff are not just there to keep a lid on violence and are watching out for teenage dysfunctional behaviour.
Violence against teachers, especially verbal, has been increasing and while Macann maintains it is not out of control he says a lot of schools feel they are on the edge.
Attrition rates in teaching are higher than they would like, says Macann, adding that one of the issues for teachers is the amount of non-teaching tasks they are being asked to do. He says being on grounds duty is a "pretty challenging task these days".
Macann says intimidation is aimed at teachers who are also dealing with bullying and harassment on the playing fields. Dealing with aberrant behaviour is "incredibly time consuming" and can be "incredibly distressing" when it manifests itself in the classroom and around the school, says Macann.
He says a behaviour summit organised by the ministry is well overdue and it is an issue for the whole community.
"It's our future, we must do the best job we can for them."
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