<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More students could be expelled or suspended as part of sweeping changes designed to keep teachers safe at work in Queensland.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fresh off the back of the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-teachers-strike-wednesday-august-6-over-pay-and-safety/4240b406-d865-40d1-ab86-30af1a4d2ec5" rel="" target="_blank" title="teachers' historic strike"><span>teachers' historic strike</span></a><span> in Queensland yesterday, the state's government and opposition have shifted their attention to reports of violence experienced by teachers in classrooms.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Shadow education minister Di Farmer said school staff were being "sworn at, kicked at and spat at".</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/national-transport-and-logistics-company-xl-express-plunges-into-liquidation-after-35-years-in-business-brisbane-queensland-national-australia/406bb125-cef8-4822-821a-095fd160d0e4"><strong><span>Aussie trucking company plunges into liquidation, leaving 200 without jobs</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Education minister John-Paul Langbroek said the incidents can be seen as "modern day bullying".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Parliament's budget estimates was told one that at one unidentified Queensland school dozens of incidents of violence against teachers were recorded within six months.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The reports included a student pulling on a staff member's leg to trip them over and a student biting a classroom teacher.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/more-students-could-be-expelled-and-suspended-under-sweeping-new-changes-in-queensland/ba6fc398-8ef8-461d-9be7-1719c23665dd" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Another teacher reported being scratched by a student on their face under their right eye.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-nankin-crash-samantha-fielder-family-tributes/0f3b0266-6332-4959-8c4b-53aeeee7452e" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Heartbroken mother remembers young woman killed in crash as 'soul of our family'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Farmer tabled a document she said was provided by a whistleblower, which outlined 54 incidents at an unidentified school between January and July this year, including one student throwing a chair.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The Occupational Violence Strategy lapsed under the former Labor Government and wasn't replaced," Langbroek said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Workplace attacks are one of the sticking points in the stalled teacher's deal.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Langbroek said a new workplace strategy would be developed and hinted it would give greater power for schools to suspend or expel students who show violence in classrooms.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We won't be stopping principals from giving suspensions as happened under the former government," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The minister also highlighted a $441 million school maintenance backlog, which was revealed in a report commissioned by Labor in its final term and released today.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span> The figure is twice the annual school maintenance budget.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in 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