Rennie calls for parliamentary statement following school violence increase

Responding to the story in The Daily Record that there has been a 20% rise in violence from school pupils over the past year, with some councils recording twice as many incidents as the previous year and support staff now being forced to wear protective clothing, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

“This dramatic increase in school violence is a deep concern.

“This problem has been festering for years and yet the SNP have failed to take the necessary action.

“Councils and schools should be empowered to respond to bullying and violence appropriately. Instead, the Education Secretary seems content with very long new guidance that is making little impact.

“Teachers, parents and pupils deserve better. The Scottish Government must make an urgent statement to parliament explaining how they will tackle school violence."