Australia

Attempted abduction of 12 year old from VIC school

In Knox, VIC there has been an attempted abduction of a 12 year old primary school girl as she walked to school. The Herald Sun reports that the abductor was a man wearing a balaclava, travelling in a maroon four-by-four utility, who approached the girl and told her to get in his car. The girl was able to run away and alert the school. The school has spoken to its students, and emphasised 'protective behaviours' with them.

School Places website raises capital for national expansion

The School Places website, which offers discounted enrolments at non-government schools to parents, has successfully raised another $2 million in investment capital. A spokeswoman said in the Australian Financial Review that the site registered '35,000 website searches on the company’s official launch day'. The company now plans to expand into NSW, before taking its business nationwide.

Dog attacks students in VIC playground

Two primary school students have been attacked by a dog during their lunch break. ABC News reports that a teacher managed to intervene and fight off the dog, and the school was subsequently placed into lockdown. The children received bites to their legs and are being treated in hospital. The dog was subsequently captured by the local council.

HSC student barred form study trip over dyed hair

A school has been criticised by its Parents and Citizens Association (P&C) and others for taking disciplinary action against a student who dyed her hair pink. The HSC student was stopped from going on an English excursion, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Parents and teachers say that the principal failed to do the necessary community consultation in drafting the school's new uniform policy. The President of the P&C stated 'the kids who have dyed their hair, they have parents too. It's not just wayward kids. This isn't the 19th century, you get a range of viewpoints in the community'. The school has also been criticised for "trying to mimic private school standards."

International

Canadian school moves towards unisex bathrooms and gender and sexuality diversity.

In Vancouver, Canada, a plan to include unisex bathrooms in schools as part of a wider changes to sexual orientation and gender identity policies has caused political controversy. The Globe and Mail reports that parents have expressed concern about children's privacy. The controversy has lead to the expulsion of two school trustees from a political party. Update: the board has now approved the policy.

Daughter of NZ school official posts tweets attacking suspended student

The daughter of a school official that suspended a student for having long hair has posted tweets containing obscenities and homophobic words. The tweets, reported in One News NZ, attacked the boy for taking the school to court, and have subsequently been deleted. The boy's family is currently taking action to review the decision to suspend the boy.

UK school on the cusp of closing due financial difficulties

A Catholic school in Scotland has announced that is in financial trouble, and could close down. According to the Herald Scotland, the school has pointed to falling enrolments and a decline in fee income, despite measures to allow parents to pay in instalments and spread their fee payments. Reactions amongst parents have been mixed, with some showing sympathy for the school, and others pointing to financial incompetence at the school.

US student expelled over tweet sues school and others

A US student who was suspended over a sexual tweet about a teacher has taken court action against the principal, the school district, the superintendent, the police chief and others. CBS Minnesota reports that the lawsuit claims damages for being suspended and expelled from school, and that the actions of the school were 'unconstitutional'. The student's tweet was in response to a post on a 'confessions' website set up by other students.