The Conservatives will accuse ministers of “abandoning” teachers as they face rising numbers of violent incidents in Scottish schools.
A Tory motion will today call on all MSPs to work together to deal with the problem “without delay”.
The latest Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research Report, published in November, found “a general worsening of pupil behaviour” since 2016, including increases in low-level disruption, disengagement and serious disruptive behaviour.
Teaching unions have been warning that their members face increasing violence in schools, with an EIS assistant secretary saying last month that some teachers have been left with broken bones and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Conservative education spokesperson Liam Kerr said: “Violence in schools has continued to escalate, with teachers paying the price for the SNP’s abject failure to tackle the issue.
“It’s totally intolerable that so many teachers are being physically attacked at work - with some ending up in hospital with broken bones.”
Tackling violence in Scottish schools
He added: “It should be a source of shame for the SNP that teachers are terrified to go to work and some have suffered horrendous injuries.”
Mr Kerr said that ministers must “stop dragging their heels and urgently start listening to the solutions that Scottish Conservatives, the unions, the teachers and so many others keep telling them, so that no more teachers or pupils suffer”.
In January Ms Gilruth said that more “time for teachers” could be the key to resolving many of the challenges in the Scottish education system, from worsening behaviour and attendance to curriculum reform.
Ms Gilruth said she was “very committed” to the government promise to reduce teachers’ weekly class-contact time by 90 minutes, which she described as a missing “part of the jigsaw” for Scottish education.
Landmark new guidance on tackling gender-based violence (GBV) was published for Scottish schools yesterday.
It was launched by first minister Humza Yousaf and Ms Gilruth, with Mr Yousaf emphasising that “prevention and early intervention are key”.
A Scottish government spokesperson said work was also “well underway” to bring forward a joint national action plan on behaviour with councils which would publish in the Spring.
The spokesperson added: “It is important that everyone with an interest in Scotland’s schools works together to solve these issues, which will require national leadership, strong action at a local level and parental engagement to support good behaviour and attendance.”
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