Australia

Queensland school probed for locking up autistic boy

Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones has announced that the ‘locking up’ of a nine-year-old autistic student in a 2m x 2m room up to twenty times in the last year for a ‘time out’ is unacceptable and is being investigated. AAP reports that there is a senior departmental officer at the state school currently reviewing the school’s practices and policies.

Victorian schools introduce feminist curriculum

The Age reports that Victorian schools will soon have access to a new feminism curriculum called ‘Fightback’. The course is aimed at male and female secondary students and has been aligned with the Victorian curriculum. It includes lessons on sexism, the objectification of women and the link between inequality and violence against women.

Identity of teacher facing child porn charges supressed to prevent embarrassment to school

A Sydney judge has granted a non-publication order to ensure that the name of Catholic primary school teacher who pleaded guilty to child pornography offences will not be released. The SMH reports that the judge made the order to ‘limit the embarrassment and distress to the school’ as there was ‘no relevant nexus between his occupation and his offences before the court’.

Disability advocates say schools have an obligation to all students

Disability advocate group Hunter Connect have raised concerns that a Hunter Valley school is not supporting all of its students equally. The ABC reported that a 16-year-old student’s mother was told that her son was not to receive an invitation to his Year 10 Formal because of the necessary adjustments that would need to be made to allow the autistic student to participate.

Asbestos found in primary school’s landscaping

The Age reports that the Environmental Protection Authority are investigating how fragments of old cement sheeting containing asbestos ended up in soil used in landscaping works at a Melbourne primary school. Following an inspection of the site, samples were taken, parents were notified and the area was fenced off to students.

Australian Christian Lobby slams Safe Schools anti-bullying program

The Safe Schools Coalition which runs federally funded programs to help schools support and accept LGBTI people has been criticised by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) for implementing a ‘radical’ program that teaches students ‘gay and lesbian techniques’. The SMH reports that the ACL wants the program axed as it teaches that heterosexuality is not the norm. NSW Labor MP Penny Sharpe has said that the ACL’s campaign is based on misinformation.

Private schools concerned about GST

AAP reports that the Association of Independent Schools of NSW has warned that extending the GST to education services would put private schools out of reach for many Australian parents and would result in a greater burden on the State as more families turn to the public system. Executive director Geoff Newcombe told ABC radio that it is not just an extra tax, but rather an attack on choice.

International

Sexual ethics to become compulsory in US classrooms

The increase of sexual assaults in US schools has prompted California to make it compulsory for schools to teach students about sexual consent. The SMH reports that from next year public high school students will be taught specifically about ‘affirmative consent’ otherwise known as the ‘yes means yes’ standard as a part of their compulsory health education requirement.

School retaliates against disabled teacher

The NY Post has reported that after a physically disabled high school teacher spoke out against her school’s grading policies to the media, the principal changed the locks on the ladies’ bathroom adjacent to the teacher’s classroom. The teacher, who has difficulty walking, also had her request for handrails at all entrances to the school denied.

Open-flame science experiments banned in schools

Following a science experiment that got out of control and burned five students, two of them seriously, The Washington Post reports that Virginia County high schools will no longer conduct science experiments involving open flames. The incident has also raised questions about safety protocols in science labs in 22 schools across the County.