AUSTRALIA

Australia’s first school lawyer offers support to disadvantaged kids

ABC News reported about a school in Melbourne’s west who has employed a lawyer as a part of the school’s staff.  This give the opportunity for the school to have work shops around certain legal issues such as sexting and legal rights whilst on public transport.   This also give the opportunity for students and parents to go to the school lawyer and seek legal advice.

Bitten, headbutted, kicked: Queensland teachers subjected to horrific abuse from students

The Courier Mail reported about students and parents abusing and assaulting teachers.  Reports obtained under Freedom of Information laws have described how teachers have been sprayed in the face with fire extinguishers, being struck by iron bars, suffering lacerations were a student stabbed a teacher multiple times with a one-inch dress pin and death threats being sent to the school by students and parents.  This has raised concerns around teacher safety in schools.

Sydney school principals asking for stat decs to stop parents gaming enrolments

The Courier reported about Sydney school principals are now asking parents to sign statutory declarations to ensure that parents are not gaming the strict enrolment policy.  High achieving schools in popular areas have rigorous enrolment requirements, insisting in some circumstances having a lease spanning at least the first six months of the year, to stop families from leasing a property for a short period of time to simply gain enrolment.

Schools may implement ‘no hat, no sunglasses, no play’

Chinchilla News wrote about the Cancer Council welcoming a ‘no hat, no sunglasses, no play’ policy being implemented at schools, to protect children from significant eye damage, caused by ultraviolet rays.  This has been raised after the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologistsafter reporting a sharp increase in the number of children with ultraviolet-related eye damage.

Brisbane parents camp out to get children enrolled at desirable Ascot State School

ABC News reported about parents setting up camp outside a school in a prominent area on Brisbane to get a spot for their children at the school.  Parents have set camp in their tents and swags for more than three nights waiting to submit their enrolment forms.  Parents gathered in an orderly fashion, even allocating numbers to parents so they know the order of the line.

INTERNATIONAL

UK: Use of body cameras in schools 'risks turning students into suspects'

The Guardian wrote about two schools in the UK have conducted trial regarding the use of body cameras to help teachers tackle disorder in classrooms.  Government advisers are cautious about the use of body camera as it may alter the teacher-student relationship.

USA: Schools around the US are Finally pushing back their start times

Business Insider Australia reported of school districts across the United States of America, pushing back their start times for middle and high school students due to reading scientific studies around sleep and after students are turning up to school groggy.  Resulting from later starts, schools have noticed an increase in graduation and attendance rates.

Canada: Ottawa School Rife with asbestos

CBC News reported on more than 200 schools in Ottowa that contain asbestos materials.  Regional boards are responsible for monitoring the condition of asbestos in their schools and are currently dealing with the problem.

New Zealand: Tsunami ‘toolboxes’ for children

The Gisborne Herald reported about coastal early learning centres and schools to receive funding for special toolboxes to keep children safe in a tsunami or earthquake event.