Calls for jail terms over principal assaults
WA Today reports that principals in Western Australia are calling for mandatory jail terms for parents who assault primary school principals and deputies. The WA Primary Principals Association has said that while this is a big ask, the problem of assaults in schools is quickly becoming a crisis. In the most recent national Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey, 43 per cent of WA principals reported experiencing threats of violence – the highest rate in the country.
School kids ‘play act’ IS beheadings in playground
The Age reports that children at a Victorian primary school have staged a mock Islamic State beheading. An Education Department spokesman said that the Department was aware of a small number of Year 6 boys involved. The incident triggered fears that younger students may be vulnerable to radicalisation as some of the school’s families are fighting overseas for Islamic State.
State school faces backlash after iPad decree
The Australian reports that a state school in Queensland is facing a severe backlash from families after forcing parents to buy iPads for kindergarten children next year. The school is being criticised for not having a ‘screen-free’ option and making it compulsory to purchase the devices which can cost up to $863. Apart from the financial issue, parents have also voiced concerns about students as young as 4 having potentially unsupervised access to the internet. The school is now reviewing their BYO iPad program.
School plans for fingerprint scanning of students
The West Australian reports that more schools in WA, and across the world, are beginning to use biometric identification, including fingerprinting and facial recognition, to monitor student attendance and even library books. Some schools have been using the technology since 2014; however there are privacy concerns about the new technology. Biometrics Institute privacy expert group chairman Terry Aulich said that biometric data is more sensitive than putting personal details on social media and has labelled its new use in schools as “overkill”. Schools are urged to conduct a privacy impact assessment before installing new technology.
Claims of staff bullying prompts teachers to walk out
Further claims of bullying and discontent have emerged from a secondary state school in Victoria, resulting in an online petition calling for change at the school where teachers have walked out amid claims of harassment that left some ‘too terrified to go to work’. The Herald Sun reports that Year 12 students suffered last year as senior teachers left the school on stress-related leave for as long as two months. The Education Department has received complaints about the bullying and harassment however staff at the school report that little has been done to take action against the alleged perpetrators.
Malek Fahd again facing closure
In May School Governance reported that the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ordered that the federal funding to Malek Fahd, Australia’s largest Islamic school, recommence ahead of a further appeal by the school of the decision to cut funding. Despite this order the federal Education Department has not started funding the school again. The Australian reports that last night a statement was released by the Department explained that funding has not been reinstated due to a continued failure in the school’s legal obligations to provide detailed governance and financial reports. The school is 80 per cent taxpayer funded and believes it only has enough funds to continue to the end of Term 2 and is again facing closure.
School buses ‘chaotic’ without seat belts
The NSW Government has been accused by the Opposition of being too slow to roll-out seat belts of school buses, a measure which could save the lives of children who have to travel on high-speed roads to get to school. The ABC reports that school buses are ‘chaotic’ as some children are standing on a bus travelling 100kph. After a series of fatal school bus crashes the Government announced in 2013 that it would spend $208 million to install seat belts of 1,700 rural and regional school buses over ten years. Since the announcement only 340 buses have had seat belts installed.
ACT Government changes definition of classroom ‘capacity’
The Canberra Times reports that ACT state schools have added room on their books for hundreds of extra students without gaining new classrooms, prompting claims that the Government has manipulated its statistics. The ACT Education Directorate has changed the definition of school capacity allowing it to add hundreds of ‘new’ places to schools that were previously excluded from capacity for special education or non-mainstream classes. Capacity is the total number of students that a school can hold including all learning and teaching spaces and now under the new definition all special education spaces.
Queensland student recovering after playground ‘choking challenge’
A 15-year-old student was discharged from a Gold Coast hospital this week, four days after passing out and hitting his head on the concrete in the school playground. The Courier Mail reports that Police stated the boy had his neck restrained by another student in a choke-hold before he lost consciousness, part of game called “tap out” where the participant is held in a headlock before they tap to be released. The game also known as “knockout” or “blackout” has been blamed for several deaths of children overseas. The student underwent emergency brain surgery and faces months of rehabilitation.
Father of dead schoolboy criticises school's care
Stuff.co reports that the father of dead schoolboy Stephen Dudley has unleashed an unflinching criticism of the New Zealand school the boy attended at the time of his death. The boy died following a fight after rugby practice at the school which prides itself on its 'zero tolerance' approach to violence. Two students were expelled over the assault, however the father of the schoolboy, Brent Dudley has openly criticised communication from the school and police in the matter after requesting information that was never received. Mr Dudley criticised the school openly at the Coroner's inquest stating that the school's communication during the matter had been lacking and the school's principal had initially reached out to the family, but then 'kept a distance'.