THE Act on the recognition of the authority of teacherswith which the Junta de Andalucía will bring to the Public Prosecutor’s Office cases of physical and verbal attacks against teachers, qualifying as attacks these episodes of violence within educational centers, will enter … into force within 20 days, i.e. January 12. Andalusia’s teaching staff – a workforce of around 103,000 – will return to classrooms after the Christmas holidays thanks to this law in force. A text which, in addition to covering the centers, will apply to complementary and extracurricular activities, as well as to any situation in which a teacher can be attacked in the exercise of his profession, such as cyberbullying.
This is indicated in the decree published this Tuesday in the Official Journal of the Junta de Andalucía (BOJA), consulted by Europa Press. The declaration of teaching staff as a public authority promoting this decree means that “their testimony will have presumption of truth and will have the legal support necessary to carry out its functions. The rule for developing the law on the recognition of the authority of teachers also includes, in assistance to teachers, specialized support through the creation of the Teacher Support Unit in each province and which will exercise specialized professional profiles.
The Andalusian Government explained a few days ago that “this is a fundamental tool to ensure that schools and institutes are safe and respectful teaching environments.” That Teacher Support Unit will be responsible for assisting and informing teaching staff affected by conflict situations; process requests for legal and psychological assistance and assess the degree of conflict to prevent future problems, among others. This body will treat each case individually depending on the problem that arises and will inform the teacher concerned of the specific actions they could take. Psychological assistance is provided to help you overcome the impact of attacks or conflict situations on your health and work performance.
“Climate of coexistence and respect”
The Council maintains that the main objective of this initiative is to “reinforce consideration and respect” towards the teaching staff of non-university centers in the exercise of their functions and thus generate “a climate of coexistence and respect throughout the educational community”. The Junta de Andalucía defends that the decree aims to “guarantee protection and that they can carry out their work with dignity and security” based on the principle that a “recognized and supported” teacher is essential for the prestige of education.
Students and their legal representatives have a duty to respect their authority, the directions of the teaching staff and to collaborate while respecting the rules of coexistence. The decree also regulates the procedures for applying for legal protection and psychological support free in cases where they are necessary. Legal assistance will be intended for those who have the status of personnel of the Junta de Andalucía, but not for professionals in subsidized centers, who will benefit from the Support Units.
The decree also regulates the procedures for requesting free legal protection and psychological support in cases where it is necessary.
Legal assistance covers representation and defense in court, both in proceedings initiated against the teacher and in those promoted by him to defend his rights against threats, coercion or aggression. The decree also includes measures to promote social valorization of the teaching function and in this sense, the Council plans to carry out information and dissemination campaigns to increase the consideration, respect and prestige of teachers, making visible the social importance of their task.
The regulatory bases for educational awards and distinctions will be established to recognize teachers who stand out for their innovative work, dedication or to improve coexistence in educational centers and teacher training plans will consider the improvement of intelligence and emotional skills to strengthen self-esteem and their public authority.
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