A female teacher at a prestigious private school has allegedly been abused by a group of male students who encircled her on the playground and pelted her with food.
The allegation involves a group of boys who attend Marist College, an independent Roman Catholic day and boarding, primary and secondary school for boys, located in Brisbane’s northern suburb of Ashgrove.
It’s alleged a female teacher was on playground duty on October 27 when she was attacked.
It’s understood up to 300 students were present and had initially gathered in anticipation of a fight between students when a smaller group turned on the teacher.
The group of boys allegedly surrounded the teacher, hurling verbal abuse and throwing food at her from less than a metre away.
A female teacher was allegedly assaulted by a group of boys at the prestigious Marist College in Ashgrove, Brisbane (pictured)
The female teacher, who remains unnamed and has yet to return to work at the college, reported feeling trapped as the group ignored her pleas to stop.
It’s alleged the group continued to partake in ‘mob mentality behaviour’ and were running, pushing and encouraging each other to fight.
Other teachers came to the female teacher’s aid and helped free her after the bell rang and the group dispersed.
The Independent Education Union Queensland and Northern Territory wrote a letter to the college on Monday claiming the students ‘presented an unacceptable physical and psychological risk’.
‘These incidents exposed staff to a serious risk to their health and safety, emanating from an immediate/ imminent exposure to occupational violence,’ the letter said.
The same day, Marist College Headmaster Michael Newman sent a letter to parents stating the school was aware of the incident and was taking the allegations ‘seriously’.
‘Firstly, the safety of our staff and students is our highest priority,’ Mr Newman wrote.
The group of boys allegedly surrounded the teacher while she was on playground duty, hurling verbal abuse and throwing food at her. (Pictured: a stock image of a Marist College blazer)
‘Secondly, I am aware of the allegations raised by the union regarding this incident and while a number are factually incorrect, they are being taken seriously,’ Mr Newman added.
‘The incident remains under investigation with staff and students.’
Union Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the union, which supports and represents teachers at the college, was also investigating the incident.
‘Following an incident involving students and staff last week, our union has directly expressed our members’ concerns to the school principal,’ Mr Burke said.