Big payouts at schools

Injuries, bullying cost taxpayers

SCHOOLKIDS have been paid more than $700,000 in compensation for playground injuries in less than two years, including a bullying victim given $170,000.

The bullied child received the payout for psychological injury and soft tissue damage to the knees and hands, while taxpayers also forked out for a student who “fell” against a wall and another whose fingers were slammed in a door. The second-largest payout of $150,000 went to a child who was allegedly tackled during HPE class and suffered a broken right clavicle and ruptured ligament of the right shoulder.

The extraordinary figures have been revealed in Right to Information documents. Queensland’s Education Department has made 13 settlements for playground injuries since February 2018 totalling $729,070.

Opposition education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said the State Government was failing to address high rates of bullying.

“That’s leading to the taxpayers forking out money for these compensation claims,” he said. When asked about injuries that were not a result of bullying, he said: “I don’t think the taxpayer should be paying compensation to children that have accidents that all form part of being a kid.”

A $63,040 settlement was paid in August 2018 after a student who was practising long jump landed “awkwardly in a foot hole” in a sand pit that had not been raked.

The student sustained a displaced fracture to their left tibia and fibula.

Another settlement of $20,000 was paid in February last year when a student “tripped and fell against a wall” after they “decided to race walk with a friend”.

The injured student suffered “fractured teeth” and a broken right forearm in the incident.

In another case, a student attempted to enter a toilet cubicle without realising another student was using it. The door was slammed on the student’s fingers, injuring their hand and causing psychological trauma. The student received $19,000 in September this year.

Fifteen injury claims were lodged in 2018, with 14 received so far this year.

An Education Department spokeswoman said all state schools had a responsible behaviour plan for students.

“The department treats the safety and wellbeing of students and staff extremely seriously,” she said.

“The department investigates all complaints in line with departmental processes.”

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers principal lawyer Alison Barrett said the firm had received numerous inquiries over the last year about children injured at school.