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Teacher stress leave costly
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 Paula
Beauchamp
17feb06
SCHOOLS have paid up to $242,000 each to stressed-out teachers
they employ.
At the state's worst-hit government school, in Melbourne's inner
north, five staff members went on paid stress leave in two years.
At another government school, in Melbourne's east, four stressed
teachers were paid and replaced during more than 2000 days off,
Freedom of Information documents show.
But the Victorian WorkCover Authority, which pays the teachers'
wages on behalf of insured schools, has refused to name them.
Australian Principals Federation president Terry Howard said that
bullying from parents and attacks from students in difficult schools
were a problem.
"If you are under physical or violent threat it can affect
some people very badly," he said. "Community pressure
and lack of department support is a significant problem."
The state's worst-hit private school -- in Melbourne's inner east
-- has paid $151,666 in two years to four teachers who were on stress
leave.
Again the VWA has refused to name the school.
In all, four schools have each lost four teachers to stress leave
in the past two years, while at least 12 schools have each covered
three teachers.
Australian Education Union Victoria president Mary Bluett said
the high number of teachers who succumbed to stress at schools often
pointed to leadership problems.
"Those schools are easy to identify but the department is
slow to intervene," she said.
Ms Bluett said stress problems could also indicate a difficult
group of students.
"If you are exposed to violent behaviour, that is a significant
stress, and it can be frightening," she said.
VWA's tally of 326 schools that paid stress leave to employed teachers
in the past two years included 60 private schools.
Individual schools pay premiums, based on their claims history,
for employee insurance through WorkCover.
An Education Department spokeswoman said the number of teachers
making stress-related WorkCover claims represented just 0.2 per
cent of the total workforce of more than 41,700 teachers and had
been declining.
Opposition education spokesman Victor Perton said principals and
teachers who had complained about violence in their schools did
not get enough backing from the department.
"Teachers are literally in fear or trepidation of some students.
The figures are no surprise," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18168803%255E2862,00.html
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