Three Reykjavík school staff miss work after violent incidents

Three incidents of violence or threats against staff at Reykjavík schools have led to employees taking time off work, according to figures reported by mbl.is. Since the city began centrally recording safety incidents at its compulsory schools in February, 77 incidents have been logged; staff suffered some form of injury in 55 of them.

The figures were provided by the city’s education authorities in response to an mbl.is inquiry, following coverage by Vísir on Friday. The authorities said staff had been encouraged to record incidents systematically, whether minor or serious, to provide a clearer picture. They also noted that the same pupil may be involved in more than one incident.

The figures cover only violence and threats against staff. The city did not say how many incidents involving violence against children had been recorded.

In March last year, mbl.is reported that Reykjavík had no central system for tracking violence by children or violence against children in its schools. At the time, city education officials said the new system would initially focus on recording violence by pupils against teachers before incidents involving violence against children.

The figures come amid reports of serious bullying and violence at Breiðholtsskóli, a school where children in one middle-grade year group were reportedly targeted by classmates for several years. The reported abuse included psychological, physical and sexual violence. After the coverage, the Ministry of Education and Children said it had begun formal oversight of the school and that the case highlighted serious challenges, particularly when bullying and violence are not addressed early.