An online petition calling for the reinstatement of a well-respected and much-loved deputy principal stood down over assault allegations is gaining momentum.
Grant Walton was stood down in March after he was accused of assaulting a student while trying to break up a brawl on the school oval.
The associate principal at Eaton Community College in Bunbury in Western Australia’s south was investigated by the Education Department.
The popular teacher faces being sacked from the school where he’s worked for 15 years despite no police charges being laid.
Associate principal Grant Walton (pictured) was stood down from Eaton Community College following the incident in March. Police investigated but laid no charges
The Change.org petition was signed by more than 2,500 former and current students, parents and colleagues within hours of being launched by an ex-student.
The petition describes Mr Walton as a role model and acknowledged the school’s history of issues between parents and teachers over students ‘who have caused problems for the staff’.
‘It is clear that teachers do not have enough resources or options and are often forced in situations like this which involve being stood down and usually this happens to people who are the ones that are the nicest and professional and do what is best. In this case, it was Grant Walton,’ the petition states.
‘It is unfair that Mr Walton has to be stood down as he was doing what is in theory, the means needed to protect other students,’ ‘This could happen anywhere and to any teacher. The teacher should be praised for his efforts to stop the situation.’
‘He is always friendly and in mine and many other people’s opinions, always puts students and parents first.’
Thousands of locals have come to the defence of associate principal Grant Walton (pictured)
Many of those who signed pledged their written support.
‘I’m signing because Mr Walton is a fantastic person who was was wrongly fired for doing nothing but breaking up a fight. If that’s what loses people their jobs then there is no justice in this world,’ one supporter wrote.
Another added: ‘This is so wrong. Grant is a wonderful, caring, compassionate person. Great teacher and we need more teachers like him. I hope all goes well for him.’
They’re among the hundreds of locals have jumped to the defence of Mr Walton in the wake of the dramatic footage being publicly leaked.
The footage shows the teacher kneeing a student in the back to bring him to the ground, keeping his body weight on the boy’s back as other students surrounded him.
‘Get off him! Get off him!’ students shouted at Mr Walton, before he stood up and released the boy.
The student then started swinging his arms at the principal while getting off the ground.
The video cut out briefly before showing the boy square up with his fists raised to Mr Walton, who shouted at him to ‘get lost’ and ‘go away’.
The schoolyard brawl was reported to police by a parent, but local detectives cleared Mr Walton of any charges after investigating the incident.
Kylie, the mother of the boy who was brought to the ground in the confronting footage, claimed her son was wrongly targeted.
‘(He was) grabbed from behind… for basically no reason,’ she told The West.
‘He did turn around and tell the teacher involved to ‘F… off’ and walked away, that’s when it happened,’ she claimed.
‘As my son was walking off, the teacher involved came up behind him and kicked him, kicked his leg out from under him and threw him to the ground pretty much, and jumped on top of him.’
A Change.org petition describes Grant Walton as a role model at Eaton Community College
She said she had written a complaint to police after they cleared Mr Walton of any wrongdoing in the altercation.
State School Teachers Union president Pat Byrne told the South Western Times that staff were encouraged to avoid any physical contact with brawling students.
‘What they are required to do is do what they can to get help and issue verbal instructions to stop the fight,’ she said.
Ms Byrne said the sequence of events that led up to the video footage being filmed needed to be established before a judgement could be made.
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has called on the Education Department to finalise its investigation.
‘I’ll let it run its course but all I’d say is I feel a great deal of sympathy for him and the fact he had to confront that situation,’ he told 6PR Radio.
‘And the way those students behaved I thought was unacceptable, surrounding him and shaping up to him and the like.’
‘I just thought it was awful to watch how that teacher was treated by those kids and it was unacceptable.’
The video cuts out briefly before showing the boy square up with his fists raised to Walton, who shouts at him to ‘get lost’ and ‘go away’
More than 300 locals and parents of students have taken to Facebook to defend Mr Walton’s actions, saying he’s the ‘heart and soul’ of the school.
‘Mr Walton has given everything to that school and the community. Behind him all the way as an ex student,’ one comment read.
‘This man is outstanding as an educator and principal!!! If he had to intervene it would be to save a child’s life and for the safety of the other students. This is a huge mistake and mis justice (sic),’ another read.
‘Nothing but praise for Grant Walton he always has the kids best interest in mind. Hopefully he can return to his position as soon as possible.’
‘As a parent of a child in ECC I stand behind Mr Walton. His actions are just protecting children. So with this rule does that mean if a student is bashing another student they will just let it play out?’ another woman said.