The Canberra Times reports that the principal of the ACT school where a cage was erected for a 10-year-old autistic student has lost her job. The Education Directorate received criticism for the length of the inquiry which took 165 days for it to make a final determination, and the delay in responding to initial reports of the cage’s use. The principal was found to be the sole instigator of the decision to erect the 2 metre by 2 metre cage that cost the school $5,195 and was not approved by the Directorate.
The 6th – 12th September is National Child Protection Week (NCPW). The event is run by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to promote, advocate and support child wellbeing and safety. Child abuse and neglect are some of Australia’s most significant problems with over 35,000 Australian children proven to have been abused or neglected last year. To learn more about hosting an event or promoting the cause, please visit the NCPW website.
Following the discovery of 85,000 unanswered calls to Families South Australia’s Child Abuse Report Line, the Herald Sun reports that academics and welfare agencies are calling for a priority hotline for police, health workers or teachers to report abuse. The proposal is that there will be a separate hotline for mandatory reporters in South Australia, similar to their police system, which takes urgent calls on 000 and less urgent matters on 131 444.
The Age reports that the Greens’ are preparing a Bill to present to the Victorian Parliament to remove the exemption from discrimination laws for religious schools. At present, religious schools may determine which students attend their school, and which staff they employ to align with the school’s religious teachings. Under the proposed changes, this exemption would be lifted, and the school would be liable for discrimination proceedings if it continued such a policy.
A state-wide audit of lunchtime prayer groups launched in July has exposed some NSW schools as non-compliant with Education Department guidelines. The SMH reports that since March this year schools have been required by the Department to monitor voluntary religious activities at the school and to obtain parental permission before students may participate. Several schools in the greater Sydney area were found to have breached these mandatory requirements.
The Courier Mail reported that thousands of Catholic school teachers are planning to stop work for two days this month in support of better pay and conditions. The Independent Education Union of Australia has reported that more than 6300 teachers will take action on September 16 and 17 and strike against the ‘inadequate and inequitable’ wages Catholic teachers receive in Queensland compared to other states.
The Federal Senate Inquiry into current levels of access and attainment for students with disability in schools has closed public submissions. One submission made to the Inquiry by Children with Disability Australia revealed that a lack of expertise within schools can lead to the misidentification of behaviour support needs and students being viewed and treated as ‘naughty’. The Inquiry will release its final report in November.
The former business manager of a prestigious private girls’ in Sydney was convicted on fraud charges after stealing approximately $400,000 during his employment at the school, using school credit cards to make personal purchases. He appeared in court this week and was sentenced to two overlapping jail terms of nine and 18 months. The SMH reports that the Magistrate allowed him to avoid time behind bars by serving an Intensive Corrections Order in the community instead.
Tragically, 9-year-old Aryan Banerjee, who suffered chocking related injuries after attempting to jump from school bathroom window in May and was put in an induced coma, has died peacefully this week. It’s believed that he jumped from the window after the toilet door would not open. The New Zealand Herald reports that a WorkSafe investigation into the accident continues at the school.
After the conclusion of the widely publicised trial of a student from St Paul’s College in New England for the rape of another student on campus, other US private schools are sending letters home to parents to outlining plans to tackle issues of sexual violence and improve procedures and policies at the schools. Fox News reports that some schools that include boarding facilities are narrowing the window of time when students may visit each other’s bedrooms and now include ‘doors open, lights on’ rules during visits.