Parents have expressed their concern at a Queensland high school teacher who has reportedly been referring to themselves as a cat, allegedly hissing at students and licking the back of their hands during class.
The teacher, who works at Marsden State High School in Logan City, south of Brisbane, has reportedly asked students to call her “Miss Purr”, multiple parents have claimed on social media.
Photos and short videos, first published by
The Courier-Mail, show the teacher wearing a cat ear headband and lanyard with the word “purr” on it while in front of a classroom.
“She … forces the children to call her Miss Purr and cat screeches and growls when they don’t listen,” one relative alleged in comments on Facebook.
“She sits in class and licks her hands. It’s absolutely disgusting. Something needs to be done about this.”
News.com.au has contacted Marsden State High School for comment.
The same relative told
The Courier-Mail she was confused by the teacher’s behaviour and expected the school had been inundated with complaints.
“I myself would like answers, it all could be innocent as I know a lot of kids can be overly dramatic,” she said.
On the same Facebook post, one mother alleged the teacher “made” her daughter “‘purr’ for a lolly”.
“My boys just told me about this teacher yesterday,” another parent wrote.
“It’s more frustrating that the mainstream schooling, and education system we are sending our kids to every day has teachers doing things like this,” one parent told
The Courier-Mail, adding their child “barks” at the teacher when walking past them.
“I want teachers who I can rely on to teach my kids what they need in life, and be someone they can look up to, which isn’t someone that wears ears.
“How can a student respect a teacher acting and walking around with animal ears?” A Department of Education spokesperson told news.com.au Marsden State High School is “aware of parents’ concerns and the principal has addressed the issue directly with the teacher”.“Teachers are held to the highest standards of professionalism and ethics,” they said. “This behaviour is not acceptable in Queensland state schools.”
