AUSTRALIA

Concern for vulnerable children as proportion of male teachers drops
According to The Age, men are becoming a token presence in schools.  In 2016, fewer than one in five primary school teachers were men and if the current rate of decline continues male teachers will be extinct by 2050.  There are no definitive reasons as to why male teachers leave the profession, as no investigations have been conducted to determine why teachers leave the profession.

NSW Schools: $50 million shake-up so principals can spend more time on education
Daily Telegraph wrote about how government schools will receive $50 million so business managers can be employed so principals can focus on the education needs of the school. Instead of delivering the curriculum, principals now find themselves drowning in paper work and the bureaucratic red tape.  Under this new plan, government schools will be able to appoint business managers, just like their non-government counterparts.

Australian Education Union claims many school principals are being bullied by their bureaucrat bosses
The Advertiser reported about how the Australian Education Union (AEU) is standing up against bullying bureaucratic bosses who intimidate school leaders.  The AEU claims that school leaders who question incessant demands for reports and data, is restricting them spending time with teachers and students, are intimidated by their Education Department managers' demands.

INTERNATIONAL

New Zealand: School prosecutes mother who allowed two children to miss large part of school year
Stuff.co.nz reported about a New Zealand school prosecuting a mother who allowed her children not to attend school for a large portion of the year.  The mother appeared in court for two charges of having children who failed to attend school regularly. In early 2015, the children were enrolled at the primary school but by September the school noticed an attendance problem. In New Zealand, if a parent commits an offence of not allowing a child to attend school, they can be fined up to $30 for every day a child was absent, up to a maximum value of $300.  A second conviction can result in the parent being fined $3000.

UK: Christian parents want to sue school that allowed boy to wear dress
9 News reported about a UK Christian couple considering suing their son’s former school because they allowed a male student to wear a dress.  The parents say that their son was quite ill over the situation. At one stage, their son was invited to the boy's birthday party with a royal theme and the boy wore a blue velvet dress while most of his guests dressed up as knights.  The school said that they “are inclusive, safe spaces where pupils learn to respect diversity of all kinds. We comply with the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (UK) and believe that all should feel welcomed, valued and nurtured as part of a learning community.”

UK: Parents hit out at ‘Army-like’ school rules after teachers tell pupils to be in bed by 9pm, wake up at 6.30am and vomit in a bucket if sick
The Sun reported about a strict school rule causing an uproar with parents. Teachers at the school are making students walk single file in corridors and told to turn around and talk, they have also told students to go to bed at 9:00pm at night and wake up at 6:30am.  Parents have branded the school’s new policies as “Army-like” and ridiculous.

UK: Secondary schools struggling to get enough teachers, says watchdog
The Guardian has reported that the UK’s National Audit Office says that principals are finding it hard to fill posts by staff leaving before retirement age. Apparently, tens of thousands of teachers left UK schools before reaching retirement age last year, and principals are finding it difficult to fill positions with good quality candidates.

USA: Teacher quizzes students on their sex lives, then rates some as ‘nerd’ or ‘indecent’
The Sacramento Bee reported about a Utah teacher who has been placed on administrative leave for assigning students a questionnaire that asked about their sex lives, whether they used drugs or alcohol, or had abortions. The teacher would then grade the answer sheets as “nerd”, indecent”, or “hopeless and condemned.”