In an effort to target youth extremism, the NSW State Government has introduced a series of measures in state schools that create obligations for teachers and senior staff to report their concerns to a specially-created hotline. Details of these measures have been revealed by The Guardian, which has obtained a copy of the guidelines and an online module used to train relevant staff. These details clarify how the State Government’s anti-radicalisation policy is being implemented in schools. See our article on the program’s announcement in November 2015: NSW Government announces $47 million plan to combat youth radicalisation.
The new program was implemented in state schools in January and contains several key measures aimed to assist staff in identifying anti-social and extremist behaviour. Teachers receive training in recognising possible warning signs that will help them to see when students are at risk of becoming radicalised. This can assist schools, families and authorities to intervene early and prevent serious outcomes, such as students travelling to fight in overseas conflicts.
The new guidelines for schools state that staff need to be vigilant for the combination of anti-social behaviour – such as bullying, violence or property damage – and extremism, cautioning staff to remain watchful ‘when a person believes that fear, terror and violence are justified to achieve ideological, political or social change.’
The Guardian reports that there are several warning signs that teachers are being trained to recognise, consider and report if necessary:
The guidelines also state that while most of these signs could be interpreted as ‘typical teenage behaviour’, if there is a pattern to the behaviour, ‘further consideration and inquiry might be necessary’.
Counter-terrorism and criminology expert Dr Clarke Jones from the Australian National University (ANU) has told The Educator that ‘like previous programs – such as the Jihadi Watch strategy – the new guidelines will over-securitise schools’.
Dr Jones has said that the guidelines, despite certain caveats mentioned above about ‘typical teenage behaviour’ will erode trust between students and teachers. Dr Jones is currently working to roll out an alternative program that he believes has a better change of encouraging students away from violent behaviour without having them end up in the criminal justice system.
Dr Jones told The Educator that in the development of this alternative program he is involving the psychology department at the ANU as well as various community groups, and sees this as something that is supportive and caring for kids – not simply labelling them terrorist suspects and reporting them to police.
Although the training program revealed by The Guardian is part of a broader anti-radicalisation program that targets the community as a whole, the reporting and training obligations for school staff more closely resemble their responsibilities in relation to child protection. Due to the nature of the role of teachers and other key members of staff, their interactions with students can often result in the ability to recognise warning signs that children may be suffering from abuse or neglect, or in this case, warning signs of anti-social or extremist behaviour. This system allows for concerns to be reported by those who have the opportunity to observe changes and warning signs and evaluated by authorities who have expertise in this area.
Although radicalisation is a serious issue that has broader ramifications for national security, it is also true that it is a process that can be identified or even occur in a playground. The program aims to tackle the problem of extremism on multiple fronts, and is equipping teachers with the necessary expertise and tools to address any concerns as they arise.