In 2007 teachers at Camperdown High School staged a protest after a fellow educator was assaulted by male students after the seizure of their cellphones. In response, the then Education Minister Ruel Reid (arguably the worst person to quote right now, but bear with me) was highly critical of the incident. “Let them take the phone, but they shouldn’t remain in the school, to be frank,” he said. “As a principal, I could never run a school where I confiscate the phone and the student grabs back the phone from me. You are going to grab away the phone but you are going to find another school.”

Further, in 2013, a female teacher at Oberlin High was punched in the face by a male student who was subsequently arrested and charged by police. There is an untold number of incidents such as these; however, the culprits in both examples given were disciplined by their respective schools and faced serious punishment.

What makes these unruly students any different from the Calabar boys who viciously attacked physics teacher Sanjaye Shaw?

Regrettably, history has shown that the sanction almost always depends on either the rank of the student or the hierarchy of their parents among our classist populace. For example, in 2005, two students spat in a teacher’s water at Immaculate Conception High and another shook the bottle to cover the grotesque act. Those girls and some of their classmates were extremely amused as their educator drank it. When the deed was discovered, the parents of the student who shook the bottle removed her from the school. The other culprits, who were allegedly from prominent families, were suspended only for a few days. It was only after protest from the teachers and publicity of the incident that the girls were allowed to “finish the school term” and not return after. The family was so influential that no newspaper or local website dared to publish their names. I only found out who they were from friends who attended the school at the time. What they did was detestable and criminal charges could have been brought against them — just like they were brought against a student ‘spitter’ at Chatham Central High student in America in 2012.

The only difference between the Immaculate episode and that of Calabar High is that the girls’ parents were prominent, and now the boys themselves are. Calabar High and every other school that places sports and prominence over academics and discipline should pay careful attention to the following: Any student who attacks or injures a teacher should be removed from the classroom permanently. That student could be the most astute the school has ever seen, or as fast as Usain Bolt, violence towards any teacher is unacceptable, unless it is self-defence, and this self-defence should never be groups of students ganging up on an educator.

The Calabar supporters must now be angry, absolutely furious. Not with the teacher, but with the boys who have so greatly disappointed them. Let them know that their actions have offended you and will not be tolerated.

Whether or not the culprits should have been allowed to perform at Champs should be left to the main sponsors and organisers of the event as the school has proven that it cannot be impartial. They should have no part in the decision-making process as they have allowed indiscipline to persist on the school compound. The Calabar sport fans and past students who are of the belief that this is a conspiracy proclaimed by a teacher who may have been “paid off” because he waited too long to make his predicament public are flawed in their view. The gentleman waited to make the incident public, not to punish the students and ruin Calabar’s chances of winning Champs. He merely waited for the school to act and he gave them ample time to do so. This is the faulty reasoning that professional enablers and too many members of our society possess. Nothing is ever ‘too bad’ for them. Everything is acceptable and boys will be boys, after all.

The incident occurred in December 2018 and it is a travesty that those young men who assaulted their teacher were only suspended for a few days in March 2019. Calabar should be ashamed! What kind of message are you sending to these students when their bad behaviour is not treated as seriously as it should be? Stop finding excuses to justify the behaviour of the people you support. No one should be above reproach. Children who assault teachers do not belong in public schools.

Our bureaucratic school system is severely broken; therefore, my unsolicited advice to educators who are forced work in a dangerous environment is to call the police if a child assaults you, whether they spit in your water or hit you. The person who commits an assault should be prosecuted. Do not fear the children, their parents or even the school. If you are sacked for doing this, you may have a claim for unjustifiable dismissal, so know your rights. The idea of having a criminal record which will decrease their chances of finding suitable employment and travelling may become a motivating factor for good behaviour from these bullies.

I stand with you Sanjaye Shaw and with all good educators. Teachers, you are not as powerless as many would have you believe. Defend yourselves when attacked, and parents, teach your children respect and manners, even if your child is a budding sports star.

Sashakay Fairclough is a barrister and attorney-at-law. Send comments to the Observer or sfaircloughlaw@gmail.com.