Australia

Boy’s finger bitten by shark in NSW

The Newcastle Herald reports that a boy was bitten on the finger by a docile species of shark, after apparently being warned ‘at least 10 times’ not to provoke the shark. The 10-year-old boy was on a school excursion to the Australian Shark and Ray Centre, and was in the fourth safety briefing when the incident happened. The Ambulance Service of NSW said that the bite was not serious, and at most would require a few stiches.

QLD college principal transfers Muslim student teachers

A QLD Christian college principal has written to the Courier Mail to justify his actions in transferring two student teachers after they began work wearing Muslim hijabs. He stated in the school newsletter that he has ‘a duty of care to ensure that those teaching at the College are actively supporting the Christian principles, practices and beliefs of the College’, adding that he saw the wearing of the hijab as ‘openly acting in a manner that is contrary to or inconsistent’ with those principles, practices and beliefs. Muslim community leaders have expressed concerns at the actions.

Schools in SA locked down in hunt for fugitive

Two schools in SA were locked down during a police operation to apprehend a dangerous fugitive, according to Seven News reports. Parents were alerted to the situation by text message. Police moved through the schools and inspected the area, but the fugitive was not found and is still at large.

Royal Commission examines child protection policies at victims’ school in WA

The Child Abuse Royal Commission has begun to scrutinise the child protection policies and re-registration process of a WA school, whose name has been suppressed. The West Australian has reported that the state government made comments that the school’s child protection policy was of a ‘very high’ standard, despite incidents where a teacher molested his primary school students. An expert has given evidence that the child protection guidelines, introduced in 2009, do not go far enough in addressing the problem.

School refuses female student’s request to have a female date at ball

A public school in VIC has refused to allow a 17-year-old female student to take her best friend to the school’s debutante ball, according to reports in the Guardian. The school has made the decision on the grounds that it would be ‘not traditional’, and the student responded on a local radio station by saying that ‘tradition is important but at the same time you need to change with society’. The decision came despite a commitment by the school to Victoria’s anti-homophobia Safe Schools Coalition.

Update: The school has now changed its position. The principal stated that ‘the ball will be modified to ensure all of our students can attend regardless of who they wish to partner, or their financial situation.’

International

US teacher sacked after asking students for dating advice

In New York, USA, a substitute teacher has been fired after engaging her fourth grade students to counsel her with relationship advice, according to a New York Post report. In New York, substitute teachers are not required to have formal teaching qualifications.

Student expelled for throwing pie at teacher’s face

The Mirror reports that an 18-year-old student has been excluded from a UK school after he threw a whipped cream pie at a teacher. The incident occurred on the last day of school, and was ostensibly a prank. The student was questioned by police after the incident, and will only be allowed back at the school to take his final exams.

Teacher awarded £23,000 in compensation claim

A local council in the UK has borne the cost of a successful compensation claim by a teacher who was injured after slipping on a puddle in a school corridor. The Daily Mail reports that the compensation sum is close to a year’s salary for a teacher. Recent similar claims have drawn criticism from political groups for what is seen as a compensation culture and burden on taxpayers.

UK school leaders debate moral education.

There is a debate in the Guardian about the differences between the moral and ethical teaching between private and public schools in the UK. Richard Walden, chair of the Independent Schools Association, has stated that ‘the focus on league tables… distracts teachers and effectively disables them from providing children with a more rounded and enriching education’. Russell Hobby, of the National Association of Head Teachers, refutes this saying that there is ‘no evidence’ of such claims.