A SCOTS teacher claims his life was “ruined” after he was wrongly branded a paedophile by a pupil.
Mark, whose name has been changed, says the rumour spread via social media and quickly got out of control.
A teacher’s life was “ruined” after he was wrongly branded a paedophile[/caption]
He said the impact of the allegation became so severe he even considered taking his own life.
The teacher was also signed off sick due to stress.
Mark told BBC Scotland News: “Another pupil called me a paedophile, and another. Within a short space of time it was an epidemic.
“The impact was catastrophic, absolutely catastrophic. I felt cast aside and devalued.”
According to research carried out by the NASUWT teaching union, 80% of 500 educators surveyed said they experienced verbal abuse.
Other teachers claimed they had been assaulted, bitten, spat on, had fireworks thrown at them and had their cars vandalised.
Several claimed they had also been falsely accused of being paedophiles.
In January, teachers at a Scots school launched industrial action after claiming they were being “gaslit” by bosses over raising concerns about pupil behaviour.
Staff at Kirkintilloch High School, East Dunbartonshire, say the regularly face swearing and violence.
They also claim pupils are allowed to roam corridors and share spaces when they should be in class.
Members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) said they would refuse to cover classes and wouldn’t take any additional voluntary duties such as extracurricular clubs, trips, or study classes outside of their contracted working hours.
We also told how teachers in Scotland have taken 400,000 days off in three years to battle stress and anxiety.
A Scottish Government said violence and abusive behaviour is “completely unacceptable” in schools.
Last year, a national behaviour action plan was published in response to growing concerns over violence.
