Malaga secondary school student's family assault teachers just three days into the school year

The violent and deeply unpleasant incident, which involved punches, kicks and hair-pulling, according to eyewitnesses, has marred the start of the academic year.

An altercation between students preceded the incident. One of the pupils rang their family after appearing at the headteacher's office.

The family turned up at the school and kicked the door. They started shouting at and assaulting her, at which point a teacher intervened.

The attack escalated and the Guardia Civil had to intervene as well. One person has been arrested and two are under investigation in connection to the assault.

The school staff held a rally at 9am on Friday to condemn and reject any form of violence.

"On behalf of the entire educational community at IES Los Montecillos in Coín, we wish to express our strongest condemnation and absolute rejection of the serious acts of physical and verbal violence by the staff at our school suffered today while carrying out their duties. Any form of aggression towards teachers and school staff is a direct attack on harmony, respect and the fundamental values that we instil in our pupils every day," the statement the school released on Thursday says.

"It is unacceptable that those of us who dedicate our work to educating and protecting the young people of our town should have to go to work feeling afraid, helpless or vulnerable. Teachers and non-teaching staff have the inalienable right to carry out our work in a safe, peaceful and respectful environment. We demand support by the institutions and by society, as violence can never have a place or justification within an educational setting," it states.

Mayor Francisco Santos also joined in condemning this attack. "It is unacceptable that our teaching staff should have to endure such situations while doing their work, often having to go to work in fear and under threat," he said.

The regional education department in Malaga also expressed "firm rejection and condemnation".

"The education authorities reject and cannot justify in any way such behaviour in a civilised society, let alone in a school setting," the press release states.

"These incidents do not reflect the usual relationship between families and schools. In the hope that they will not recur in future, we unequivocally condemn this type of behaviour and are taking all administrative and legal measures within our power. We have stepped up our support for and collaboration with the teachers who have been involved in these incidents, to ensure they receive the psychological and legal support that the regional ministry of education has in place for such cases," the statement says.

The school in Malaga province has received dozens of messages of support on its social media channels from other schools and parents' associations.

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