The Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) has said it will continue to fight for policies aimed at securing the safety of teachers after more than 400 of them took to the streets in protest at the physical assault on a teacher by a parent.

"The matter is not improving, it's getting worse. How many students again have and are being attacked on the street; students going to high school, primary school, their bicycles (are) being stolen. Their watches, their cellphones, even tennis (sneakers) taken off their feet," said BTNU Executive Secretary George Frazer.

"The matter has reached crisis proportion and we are saying enough is enough and we have to do something and the union is taking this lead."

The latest incident occurred on April 23 at the Solid Rock Christian Academy, and Howard Melendrez, the president of the Stan Creek Chapter of the BNTU, said the teachers were demonstrating their discontent of what transpired.

Reconciled with attacker

The teacher in question, Ermogenez Leiva, described the incident as 'unfortunate'.

"I certainly don't what this to happen again to anybody for that matter or anywhere. We have reconciled, I mean from the first day it happened, I had forgiven the guy and throughout the week that I was at school and he came and asked for forgiveness, which I did gave him and the class as well," Leiva said.