The Platform of Directors of Canary Islands has claimed this Friday in the Parliament of Canary Islands the implementation of a law on teacher authority in light of the increase in "insults, threats, harassment, and assaults" recorded in educational centers.
During their intervention before the Education commission, the representatives of the platform have supported the bill promoted by the groups of the four-party coalition, but at the same time have requested "resources and protection" so that the authority of teachers is effective and the future norm does not remain "just words".
One of the spokespersons, Carmen Terrón, has warned of the "silent violence" that entails having to "constantly justify" every pedagogical decision, a situation that causes "wear, fear, and insecurity" in teachers.
In that line, she has emphasized that "families have the right to ask, have the right to disagree, to demand and to ask for explanations, but disagreeing does not mean insulting, demanding does not mean threatening, and questioning a decision cannot mean discrediting or harassing a professional".
For this reason, she has stressed that they need "real legal protection, immediate advice, psychological support, clear protocols in the face of any type of aggression, institutional backing, and quick procedures".
She has also pointed out that "there is fear of the consequences" when making decisions and has reiterated the need to preserve "coexistence" in the centers. "The respect and safety of teachers is not a corporate claim, it is an indispensable condition to be able to educate," she has indicated.
In this context, she has emphasized that a family "has the right to know what happened, to be heard, to demand" but without "intimidation" towards the teachers, who daily deal with families subjected to much "stress", among other reasons due to comments circulating in 'whatsapp' groups.
Silenced violence in special education and students with NEAE
María Cristina Molowny has pointed out that the future law must "complement" the diversity law, since in an ordinary center a disruptive behavior "constitutes a disciplinary offense" while, in the case of students with NEAE, that behavior is an expression of their own disability.
He added that in special education centers there is a "silenced and normalized violence," with episodes of aggression, insults, and threats, and specified that, although the support staff has increased with occupational therapists and nurses, the percentage of students with great support needs has also grown.
"The ultimate goal is to achieve that the classroom is a safe environment, both for the teacher who needs protection and resources, and for the students with disabilities who deserve an inclusive, fair, and non-discriminatory education," he explained.
Secondary, post-compulsory education, and the overload of directors
Sara Lázaro, who has presented the situation of secondary schools, has insisted on the urgency of reinforcing "limits, coexistence, and respect," although she lamented the "time" that is spent addressing inappropriate behaviors of students.
Likewise, she questioned why numerous positions were left unfilled in the last selection process for directors.
For his part, Francisco Ruiz, representing post-compulsory education, pointed out that the centers are "increasingly complex" and believes that the authority of the teacher is "weakened" when he perceives that the management cannot support him.
"But it can be even worse, which is when the administration does not support him either, and that is when the authority of the management is also weakened," he stated.
In this line, he warned that one cannot demand the director "to be a pedagogical leader, administrative manager, accountant, responsible for coexistence, mediator, and interlocutor with the family, and also manage an increasingly growing bureaucratic burden."
He requested that the new law consolidate a "chain of support" that sustains the authority of the teaching staff and that bureaucracy be drastically reduced, while he described the directors as "species in extinction" due to the lack of incentives to assume the position.
The bill will be debated next week in parliamentary committee and, as PSOE and NC-bc have recalled, the new regulation can "legislate on what has already been legislated," as pointed out by the School Council and the Consultative, so both groups express doubts about its real impact.