A NSW principal whose descriptions of students and parents included 'morons', 'village idiots', 'two heads' and 'webbed feet', has apologised after the contents of his bizarre staff newsletter were reported by the Daily Telegraph. The government school principal remains in his post although he was counselled by the department of education.
Peregian Springs State School, in QLD, has banned cartwheels unless 'they are properly supervised by a trained PE teacher'. A spokesman told the Brisbane Times that this was a decision for individual schools, and not a blanket policy of the QLD department of education.
VIC has proposed laws to empower council inspectors to enter schools and childcare centres to ensure compliance with non-smoking laws. The changes, reported in the Herald Sun, will also extend non-smoking bans to all government and non-government schools.
The Courier Mail reports that a stepfather has been banned from entering three QLD state schools after physically and verbally assaulting a principal, including threatening to kill him. The ban remains in place until the end of the year.
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that over 5000 trees have been cut down in NSW state schools, following the death of a child at Pitt Town Primary School. She died after a tree branch fell on her in the playground. The Department of Education's response has been criticised as a knee-jerk reaction by a leading aborist.
An elementary school in Quebec, Canada, has banned all homework other than studying or reading work, in a pilot program to be trialled in grades 1-6. According to CTV News, the goal of the program is to 'ease pressure on parents and improve student performance'.
A school in Los Angeles, US, has 'retired' its 'Arab' and 'genie' mascots. Despite this, the school has refused to drop its 'Arab's school nickname. CBS Los Angeles has details of the racially insensitive mascot.
A US teacher who made reference to an 'itchy' trigger finger, and to want to 'stab some kids' on twitter has been reprimanded but continues to teach. CNET reports that she intended the comments as a joke, but has since deleted her twitter account.
A mother's Facebook post criticising her son's school has led to the exclusion of her son from a private school in Florida, US. Although the post was ostensibly private news.com.au reports that it was seen by school officials, and her son was excluded as this was a contravention of the school handbook that parents are made to sign.
A report by The Children's Society charity has found that UK students are among the most unhappy in the western world, ranking 30 out of 39 countries. The Independent has more details about the report. The Children's Society fights childhood poverty and neglect.