School Governance

July 9: School Governance Weekly Wrap

Written by Ideagen CompliSpace | Jul 8, 2015 2:00:00 PM

 

Australia

How a 14-year-old domestic violence sufferer changes the NSW Department of Education school syllabus

The NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli announced a raft of major changes to the 7-10 PDHPE syllabus that will specifically focus on domestic violence. This reform comes as a response to a young girl’s plea for education on the issue. The Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault commented: “Through this update to the syllabus, schools can provide a significant platform for helping young people to identify, report and protect themselves and others from abuse.” The changes approved by the BOSTES will be introduced from the first term of 2016.

Parents infuriated by church’s sex advice in school

Year 7 girls have been told that even minimal physical contact with boys could ruin future relationships after a public high school in Melbourne allowed a group of Pentecostal Christians access to students without parents’ permission. The Age reported that representatives from CityLife Church handed out booklets entitled ‘Science & Facts” which warned female students not to have multiple sex partners or risk becoming like overused sticky tape. A spokesman for the Victoria Department of Education said “the materials are completely inappropriate and in breach of Department policy.”

Education union agrees to ACT government’s revised pay deal for teachers

After more than a year of negotiations, The Canberra Times reports that the government’s third wage offer has been accepted by the education union. The deal will see classroom teachers earn more than $100,000 each year by the end of the four-year agreement. It also includes more psychologists for Canberra schools and assistants to free up teachers’ time.

Adelaide Islamic College student forced to get haircut, protesters say

The ABC reports that school welfare officer Sheikh Hassen Gabress drove the 14-year-old student to a barber last week and ordered that the boy’s hair be cut without his mother’s knowledge. Earlier this year a review of the Islamic College was ordered by the State Government following weeks of complaints by parents. The school has previously been condemned by a senior group of imams as ‘oppressive and irresponsible’.

New report makes recommendations to replace schools’ ‘how to spot a jihadi’ training

The Australian reports that a report from the Australia Strategic Policy Institute was published last week entitled ‘Gen Y jihadists: preventing radicalisation in Australia’. The report calls for the inclusions of counter-radicalisation messages in the school curriculum and for the teaching of the situation in the Middle East and Australia’s involvement.  Policy recommendations within the report suggest that subjects already included in the NSW History curriculum such as ‘The Modern World and Australia’ allow for the possibility of classes on contemporary security issues.

International

Students’ gender identity determines restrooms they use: US Justice Department

Transgender students must be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. California’s Global News reported that as of 1 July 2015 a failure to let students do so would amount to sex discrimination. The statement of interest filed on Monday by the Justice Department was in response to a federal lawsuit filed by a 16-year-old transgender student who wanted to be allowed to use the boys’ bathrooms.

Investigation into school email error

A New Zealand school is carrying out investigations into how an email that revealed family violence was accidentally sent to all Year 13 students. The Herald reports that the administrative email was received by the school last Thursday from an external agency wanting to ensure that a ‘vulnerable’ student involved in a domestic violence investigation was being provided the necessary support. Although a result of human error, the principal of the Waikato high school stated that the error has resulted in the review of the processes within the school to prevent such a mistake happening again.

UK School bans girls from wearing skirts because its ‘distracting for male teachers when they walk up stairs or sit down’

The Daily Mail has reported that a school in Staffordshire now requires all students to wear the same style of ‘business-like’ trousers to stop pupils coming to lessons in clothing that ‘barely covers their bottoms’.  The Headmistress explained the new rules as a necessity as teachers were spending more time telling students to roll down their skirts than teaching. The school’s decision, following male teachers and pupils complaints, has sparked heated debate.