TEACHERS FACE PARENT RAGE

Aggression spans private, public schools in different forms

- ANITA NKONKI, WENDY JASSON DA COSTA and TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

WHEN parents attack, teachers pay the price. Across schools, parents are bypassing principals, confronting staff, and escalating disputes over grades, sports, and discipline. Many educators say the abuse is driving them out of the profession.

The way this aggression plays out differs between private and public schools. In private schools, parents often use their financial clout to demand outcomes, challenging teachers over even minor decisions. In public schools, confrontations are more likely to stem from frustration with broader social and educational pressures, but the result is the same: teachers face intimidation, verbal abuse, and, in some cases, threats to their safety.

Thirona Moodley of the teachers’ union Naptosa said the situation is unbearable. “Parents are stepping out of their lanes and engaging with the school on issues that are out of their mandate. They come in like bulldozers...” she said.

Many parents, she said, are bypassing formal channels.

Rather than lodging complaints with principals or school governing bodies, they evade security and go straight into classrooms, leaving teachers fearful and occasionally in danger. “Children are very active in making false accusations, and then the parents respond. They support their children and don’t want to hear negative comments or reports about their conduct.”

The aggression spans both public and private schools, though it takes different forms. “In private schools, parents tend to be more hands-on and more critical of teachers. Even small issues, like where a child is asked to sit, can become a problem. Some feel entitled because they pay high school fees and believe they deserve to demand accountability from teachers. Parents do have a right to engage in their children’s education, but how they do it, matters.”