The founder of Oasis Academies, the trust that runs a Kent school where staff have gone on strike due to student violence, said he was "really sorry about this situation".
"I cry about it to tell you the truth," Steve Chalke told BBC Radio Kent.
Staff at the Oasis Academy on the Isle of Sheppey are striking for three days from Tuesday to Thursday.
Mr Chalke said that student behaviour across the country had "deteriorated fast since the pandemic", but acknowledged it was at a "different level" on the Isle of Sheppey. BBC Radio Kent
He said the school was underfunded, making it very difficult to tackle behaviour issues.
Lisa Reynolds, an English teacher at the school and a local National Education Union (NEU) representative, said: "We have members of staff who are threatened on a daily basis."
She said children were telling teachers "they have knives on them and they're going to cut our throats".
