The mother of a pupil has been arrested after a headteacher was allegedly dragged by her hair, knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked at an international school on the Costa del Sol.

The director of IES Los Montecillos in Coin and another teacher were reportedly subjected to physical and verbal abuse after relatives of a student forced their way into the school.

Guardia Civil officers arrested the pupil’s mother on suspicion of assaulting a public official, as headteachers and other educators are legally considered authorities while carrying out their duties.

Two other people, including the child’s father, are reportedly under investigation on suspicion of the same offence and criminal damage.

The incident is understood to have begun with a dispute between pupils at the secondary school on Thursday.

One group was allegedly intimidating other students, prompting the headteacher to call several youngsters into her office individually.

A pupil later told relatives that he had been assaulted by the director, an accusation described as false by a source quoted by Cadena SER.

His parents then allegedly travelled to the school and began bashing against a door until they gained access.

When the headteacher emerged, she was reportedly grabbed by the hair and knocked to the floor before being kicked.

Another teacher who tried to mediate was also allegedly assaulted.

Both women reported the incident to police and obtained medical reports documenting their injuries.

Teachers ‘emotionally destroyed’

Hundreds of members of the school community gathered at IES Los Montecillos on Friday morning to condemn the violence and support the two women.

Teachers, pupils, parents, local councillors and representatives of other institutions joined the demonstration inside the school grounds.

‘They are emotionally destroyed,’ said Santi Ramos, secretary of the school’s parents’ association.

Deputy headteacher Juan Jose Mendez said the women were suffering from the physical effects of the fall and attack but had been particularly affected psychologically.

‘They are wondering whether this is sometimes worth it,’ he said.

The school has more than 1,100 pupils from a range of cultural backgrounds who generally coexist with ‘a certain harmony’, according to Mendez.

However, he called for additional resources to support pupils arriving from schools and backgrounds requiring compensatory education.

‘These events make you rethink many things,’ he said.

Staff intend to continue holding demonstrations until measures are introduced and the school receives the resources needed to support its pupils properly.

Education authority takes legal action

Malaga’s territorial Education delegation confirmed that the two women had suffered physical and verbal attacks allegedly carried out by the parents of an enrolled pupil.

It said it would take every administrative and legal measure available and has activated legal and psychological support protocols for the teachers.

In a statement, the school condemned the ‘serious acts of physical and verbal violence’ suffered by staff while performing their duties.

‘Any type of aggression against teachers and school personnel is a direct attack on coexistence, respect and the fundamental values that we teach our pupils every day,’ it said.

The school added that professionals responsible for educating and protecting young people should not have to attend work feeling afraid, abandoned or vulnerable.

Coin mayor Francisco Santos also attended Friday’s gathering and called for the courts and regional Education Ministry to act.

‘A headteacher and teacher were attacked simply for doing their jobs,’ he said. ‘This is behaviour that cannot be permitted.’