Teacher Loses Appeal for Headlocking Student in Self Defence; is Consequently Fired.

[Daltron]

A STUDENT who punched his teacher in the head during class said he's not sorry the man was sacked for putting him in a headlock.

Former Riverstone High School student Jarrad O'Hanlon told The Sunday Telegraph he felt no remorse over the 2011 incident which ended the twenty-year career of teacher Stephen Krix.

Mr Krix, then a probationary science and agriculture teacher, was fired for misconduct for breaking NSW Department of Education and Communities strict guidelines by making physical contact with a student.

Mr O'Hanlon refused to take off his headphones during a science lesson, told the Mr Krix to "f*** off" several times - before punching him when he stood close to the student and refused to move.

Mr Krix lost an appeal against his sacking in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission earlier this month.

The commission found Mr Krix should not have made physical contact with Mr O'Hanlon, despite Mr Krix arguing he was defending himself because Mr O'Hanlon was punching him.

Asked whether it was appropriate to sack Mr Krix and how he should react when a student punched him, a department spokesman said: "action will not be taken against teachers who act reasonably in their conduct while disciplining students".

"Teachers are dismissed in circumstances where their conduct towards students is extreme and could not be considered appropriate given circumstances at the time," the spokesman

Full article here.

Should teachers have the right to hit students in self defence?

I say yes, in extreme circumstances when you fear for your safety. I consider Jarrad the scum of society, hitting someone who is trying to educate you. Violence at school should not be tolerated by anyone. It's disappointing this teacher was fired for putting him in a headlock but if the facts in the article are true then it seems like the head lock was warranted.

Thoughts?

[Empired]

I think he was right to try and defend himself but perhaps a headlock was a step too far?

I'm appalled that the student doesn't even care he's ended this teacher's career though..

[MKR&*42]

I'm really angsty towards how teachers have such little physical control over students nowadays. It was absolutely acceptable to put him in a headlock considering the student was clearly being both verbally and physically abusive, and the rule on no physical contact whatsoever is a load of bull. If two kids are fighting for example, you use physical contact to separate them so why should it be any different if it's a kid abusing a teacher.

Wtf was he meant to do, just stand there and potentially let the kid beat him up? I genuinely feel so sorry for teachers considering all the crap they have to put up with and they can't even react in self defence it seems^

[GommeInc]

Stupid guidelines. It assumes teachers are no longer human but disposable assets. If you're faced with physical force, what are you going to do? Protect yourself - it's human to do so. The student clearly wasn't traumatised by the event, and should be excluded from school so the teacher can return to thunderous applause from other students who hopefully saw this student as a brat not worth teaching.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I've been clear on this before - I back corporal punishment (the cane) 100%. Look at the breakdown in behaviour in our schools and across youngsters who have no respect for authority. It's time to stop whinging about 'childrens rights' and be more concerned about teaching them right and wrong from a young age.

Until that happens then schools will remain out of control (as many are) and so will crime.

[dirrty]

my teacher hit me once and even though it was a 'joke' "oh stop it, behave!" hit, it actually did hurt lmao, esp since she was built like a lorry.

but yes, a teacher should be able to defend themselves (within reason) when being attacked.

[GommeInc]

my teacher hit me once and even though it was a 'joke' "oh stop it, behave!" hit, it actually did hurt lmao, esp since she was built like a lorry.

but yes, a teacher should be able to defend themselves (within reason) when being attacked.

That's the sad thing - horseplay is perfectly acceptable between humans yet the moment they're in a professional capacity they have to drop the urge to be human. Teachers are humans and can be fun to laugh and joke with, but these days we may as well be taught by mindless drones, and that goes from the teacher's point of view and the students'. It's quite difficult really :/

[lawrawrrr]

I don't think teachers should be granted permission to hit children in self defence; it's a gateway to a lot of risky things, which is why they haven't done it before.

If a situation like this occurs - where a student punches you (I've had this happen, working with troubled children was NOT fun), they should really have acted more professionally, trying to diffuse the situation and send them out, to a corner, call for reinforcement - not retaliate as any grown up is more powerful than a child, a child they're supposed to be LOOKING AFTER as well.

At the end of the day I don't think most teachers would ever get to the stage where they're afraid for their life; only in really bad areas. And in that case, the senior staff members usually intervene - I'm talking threatening with knives and things. In those cases there's usually carefully set out precautions in place - one school I worked at had panic buttons under the table.

Usually you can keep a tab on the bad kids though and be prewarned before they come into your classroom. I doubt this was an isolated incident and I wouldn't blame the teacher for having a bit of a grudge, but at the end of the day I don't think there's any excuse for retaliation.

[Daltron]

but at the end of the day I don't think there's any excuse for retaliation.

So just to clarify if you were a teacher and I were a student and I started punching you continuously you would stand there and be my punching bag? :/

[lawrawrrr]

So just to clarify if you were a teacher and I were a student and I started punching you continuously you would stand there and be my punching bag? :/

No, I would move away from you, tell you to stop, send you outside the room, and if you continued still I would call for some reinforcements from other teachers. It's not acceptable for a teacher to be hitting a child.