Our priority is to ensure that schools are as safe as possible and trust between pupils and teachers is essential to that
Scottish Green MSPs today (31 Jan) welcomed confirmation from Education Secretary John Swinney that he won't give teachers powers to search pupils without consent, a counterproductive proposal which would risk a breakdown of trust between teachers and pupils.
It follows a report into the killing of Aberdeen schoolboy Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed by a fellow pupil in 2015. The report asked the Scottish Government to consider amending the law in relation to searching pupils.
Ross Greer MSP, Education spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said:
"Our priority is to ensure that schools are as safe as possible and trust between pupils and teachers is essential to that. John Swinney is right that giving teachers statutory powers to search pupils without consent would radically change the important pupil-teacher relationship. The government's focus on further controls on the purchase of weapons online is welcome, as is the promise of new guidance on violence and weapons in schools."