The teacher Paul Carlbark was fired after an incident with a student, even though the district court ruled in his favor and convicted the student.
Now the union has reported the municipality to the labor court – a verdict he believes will be decisive for future teachers.
– If the teaching union suspects that the employer does not support them, then they will leave students in the lurch, says Paul Carlbark.
Last year, a student was convicted after attacking teacher Paul Carlbark during a break at Ringsjöskolan in Höör municipality. The student was convicted in the district court for threatening an official and the preliminary investigation against Paul was dropped. Despite that, he was fired.
Now the Swedish teachers’ union has sued the municipality in the labor court. Paul Carlbark believes that the outcome will have enormous significance in the future.
– If it is the case that I lose in the labor court, then it sends a signal to all teachers. This means that a municipality can act arbitrarily against teachers and not really protect them against threats and violence. This means that teachers will not dare to intervene against bullying, against violations or against harassment, says Paul Carlbark.
“Grethouse for gang criminals”
The fact that Paul acted in agreement with the assessment of both the police, the prosecutor’s office and the district court makes the decision to fire him even more regrettable, he thinks.
– I had to defend myself. I was very, very scared in that situation.
Statistics from the Work Environment Agency show that more and more teachers are exposed to violence. At the end of last year, the number of notifications had increased by 22 percent compared to five years ago.
Paul Carlbark says that the increased violence risks having major consequences if teachers do not dare to intervene.
– Society shows that there is more violence now and that is also reflected in the school. Therefore, it is very important to be clear towards students, towards those who practice violence in school. Otherwise, we will have a problem with us getting a so-called greenhouse for gang criminals in the Swedish school.
“Is there another side of the coin”
The school’s principal Michael Kjellemar declines to comment as he was not working at the school during the incident. TV4 has also sought Marie Nilsson, head of education in Höör municipality, who returned with a written comment.
“The municipality of Höör does not make a statement during an ongoing legal dispute, but lets the court decide the case in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, this has the consequence that only one person’s view of the course of events is given in the mass media, but we believe that most people understand that there is another side to the coin,” she writes.