RTI documents reveal allegations of abuse by state education teaching staff against students with disability

New documents reveal serious complaints of mistreatment by state education teaching staff against students with disability — from pulling a child by the hair while calling them an expletive, to grabbing a boy around the neck and shaking him. Key points: The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability begins its first public hearing in Townsville today An advocacy group has obtained documents from education departments around Australia about complaints against employees towards students with disability It also has information about the outcomes of some investigations The documents — obtained by advocacy group Children and Young People with Disability Australia under Right to Information laws — show dozens of employees in Queensland and New South Wales have been investigated for violence, abuse, or neglect towards students with disabilities in the past two years. If you or anyone you know needs help Lifeline 13 11 14 Mens Line 1300 789 978 Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732 National Counselling and Referral Service 1800 421 468 or 02 6146 1468 Aboriginal Family Domestic Violence Hotline 1800 019 123 Find a disability advocate near you In another case, a teacher was issued with a written caution, amid reports they had "unnecessarily restrained" a boy by placing him in a headlock and forcing him to the ground. He said the department was continuing to "build a more inclusive education system," with the government investing $1.159 billion in the 2019-2020 financial year for extra staff to support students with disability. Queensland Teachers Union president Kevin Bates said sustained complaints against 30-odd state school staff out of nearly 50,000 teachers across Queensland was a "low number".