The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

AUSTRALIA

Australian parents want schools to teach more sex education topics and teach them from an earlier age

According to The Conversation, a new research project set out to establish what Australian parents think about school relationships and sexuality education via an online survey. More than 2,400 Australian parents were surveyed in late 2021. They represented all states and territories, and their children were enrolled in both primary and secondary schools. All school sectors – government, independent and Catholic – were represented. Overall, 90 per cent of parents in the survey either agreed or strongly agreed that schools should deliver relationships and sexuality education. Parents also reviewed a list of 40 sex education topics and were then asked if each lesson was appropriate for the school classroom. Across all 40 topics, there was emphatic support for schools to address these issues. In most cases, the level of support was more than 95 per cent. Some of the most supported topics were peer pressure, communication skills and changes associated with puberty.

Around 62 per cent of Australians report being abused and neglected in childhood, major study finds

ABC News reports that almost two-thirds of Australians have been abused, neglected, or exposed to domestic violence as children, according to self-reports provided to a major new study. The five-year study found that people who reported experiencing child maltreatment were far more likely to have poorer lifelong health outcomes than those who had not. Of the 8,503 respondents aged 16 or older, 62 per cent indicated experiences of maltreatment in childhood. National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said that the results were a "wake-up call". Encouragingly, there have been some declines in physical and sexual abuse. Researchers think that could indicate that targeted policies and improved education to address those issues have started to work. Professor Mathews, the lead researcher on the study, was a professorial fellow to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

3 reasons you should never view or share videos showing children being assaulted – even if you think it helps “raise awareness”

According to The Conversation, Australians have been shocked by an incident on the Sunshine Coast this month in which a 13-year-old girl was imprisoned, assaulted and tortured over many hours, allegedly by three girls. The alleged perpetrators also filmed the abuse, which went viral online with photos and videos being shared across news outlets and social media profiles. Some people may think they’re supporting victims by watching the videos and then expressing their outrage at their treatment. But there are three key reasons why you should never view, download or share photos or videos of children being assaulted. First, you may be committing a criminal offence; it’s a criminal offence to possess, view, share or create child sexual abuse material. Second, you may be perpetuating the abuse suffered by the victim by causing ongoing harm to them, beyond any physical harm that they may have recovered from. Third, you are giving undeserved notoriety to the perpetrators.

“I started walking the long way”: many young women first experience street harassment in their school uniforms

According to The Conversation, there’s been surprisingly little attention paid to the harassment of young people in school uniform. Findings from new research show that school-related harassment is a serious issue that has largely flown under the radar in Australia. We know that young people experience sexual, homophobic and transphobic harassment from their peers and even teachers while they’re at school. But participants also mentioned harassment occurring outside their school grounds. This was perpetrated by strangers (usually individual adult men, or groups of adult men), while they were in uniform and, therefore, clearly identifiable as school children. Unfortunately, the view that victim-survivors are responsible for their own harassment was often reinforced by schools if harassment was reported. Numerous participants said that they were reminded of school uniform policies (such as mandated length of skirts and dresses) when they went to teachers for help.

Parents show support for mobile phone ban in NSW schools but experts not sold on benefits

The Guardian reports that parents have come out in support of a sweeping mobile phone ban in New South Wales public high schools, while cautioning that exceptions should be made for students with health problems and disabilities. But an expert says that the ban will not improve academic results, calling for greater education about how children should manage their screen time. The newly elected NSW Government announced on Monday that it would ban mobile phones in all public high schools during school hours. The ban, to be introduced in Term Four, was a longstanding election promise made by the NSW Labor leader and now Premier, Chris Minns. Minns said that the ban would apply during class, recess and lunchtime, and that students could carry their phones while travelling to and from school. Several NSW high schools have independently implemented their own bans, with mixed approaches.

Telcos warn against using mobile jamming technology in schools

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australia’s largest telecommunications companies have warned the newly elected Minns Government against using phone-jamming technology in schools after the idea was canvassed as a way to ban mobile use among students. Telco firms said that such technology, which has been used in NSW prisons, could disrupt services to nearby homes and businesses and block vital communications between students and parents. The telecommunications regulator received a proposal late last year from mobile-blocking technology company Educell to trial the use of a “set-and-forget system” that allows schools to restrict mobile coverage, preventing students from using social media and sending and receiving calls and texts. NSW Education Minister Prue Car said that the Government was considering whether the technology would be feasible as a way for schools to implement the ban.

Teacher influencers: The Instagram side hustle helping educators pay the bills

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the NSW education department has warned Instagram “teacher influencers” that filming in classrooms and selling learning resources for educators may breach their terms of employment. NSW teachers are supplementing their income by selling worksheets, filming sponsored content and sharing teaching tips on social media. Their union and others in the industry say that stalling wages have popularised online side hustles, which find a captive market among their overworked peers. Teachers who have a second job must have written approval from their principal under the Department’s “private and secondary employment policy”. “Activity such as filming in classrooms or selling resources created in the course of employment with the Department may be a breach of our code of conduct,” a Department spokesperson confirmed.

Former ultra-Orthodox school principal Malka Leifer found guilty of rape

The Age reports that Malka Leifer, the former principal of a Jewish ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne, has been found guilty of sexually abusing two former students after a 15-year campaign for her to face justice. After a six-week trial in the County Court of Victoria, a jury on Monday found Leifer, 56, guilty of charges including rape, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a child aged 16 or 17 against two sisters. But they cleared her of all charges relating to a third sister. Leifer was found guilty of assaulting and raping sisters Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich between 2003 and 2007, when the sisters were pupils of Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, part of a small enclave of ultra-conservative Jewish families in Melbourne’s inner south-east. The former principal’s prosecution became an international scandal when she was rushed out of the country in the middle of the night in March 2008 after allegations of her sexual abuse against students began to mount.

Time poor teachers in Victoria harness ChatGPT to write student reports

According to the Herald Sun, despite bans in many schools, time-poor teachers are turning to ChatGPT to help them write student reports. The AI program writes impressive school reports, with teachers sharing tips on social media forums about how to get the most high-quality, authentic outcomes. One high school teacher said that she had been using the program because “reporting season is almost upon us so I’ve been pouring some time into creating a prompt that will write high quality reports.” Victorian Principals’ Association principal Andrew Dalgleigh said that he “wouldn’t be surprised teachers are using it” for reports. “It’s not a problem as long as the reports are individualised for the child,” he said. “When it comes to lesson writing, it’s probably a good use of teachers’ time and then the lesson could be modified for the class or individual.” These sentiments were echoed by Colin Axup, from the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals.

“They forget we are human beings”: Victorian teachers pushed to brink by angry parents

The Age reports that an increase in angry “red-wine emails”, critical parent WhatsApp groups and excessive expectations are making many educators question their jobs. Parents are taking up more and more of teachers’ time, an Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership survey of 38,000 teachers found, with 59 per cent of teachers putting in more than five hours a week managing parents’ issues. There have been eight School Community Safety Orders issued in Victoria – which give principals powers to ban abusive parents from school grounds – since they were introduced in the State last year. Teachers are also dealing with a classroom behaviour crisis, as the needs of students become more complex and teachers complain of violent and disorderly students. A Senate inquiry into increasing disruption in Australian classrooms is underway.

Queensland could be only state to not ban mobile phones at school

According to The Courier Mail, Queensland could emerge as the only state to not impose a blanket ban in public schools after the NSW Government announced that it would introduce its own ban from October. Experts said that mobile phones in classrooms were a major distraction for students who were there to learn and that it could spark bullying or brawls in schools. Education Minister Grace Grace said that there was no plan to introduce a blanket ban and argued that it would create problems rather than solve them. Ms Grace said that the Queensland Anti Cyber-bullying Taskforce, which was established in 2018, did not recommend any bans on mobile phones in schools. “At this point in time, we will stick by the recommendations of the taskforce,” Ms Grace said. “We fully support school principals if they decide that’s what they want to do.” South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia already have phone bans at secondary schools.

New Queensland laws to protect gay teachers from being fired for their sexuality

According to The Australian, new laws making it harder for religious schools to sack LGBTQ+ teachers and staff living out of wedlock will be introduced in Queensland by the end of the year. Controversial law changes, recommended by the State’s Human Rights Commission last year, would prevent church-run schools from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexuality, marital status and gender identity. Under expected law changes, schools would still be able to discriminate against staff directly involved in teaching religion but others, such as maths teachers, could not be fired on the basis of their sexuality or marital status. It is understood that the State would still allow religious schools to discriminate when hiring staff and enrolling new students but will restrict grounds for terminating employees or expelling students. Australian Association of Christian Schools executive director Vanessa Cheng said that any restrictions on employment decisions was a “serious concern”.

INTERNATIONAL

Girl, 14, takes her own life at school (United States of America)

According to news.com.au, a 14-year-old girl has died by suicide inside a high school in California, just an hour after she ran away from home, police said. The body of the teenager was found by police on the second floor of Lindhurst High School in the town of Olivehurst, after she had vanished from her nearby home at about 6am, officials said. “It does appear to be a suicide,” Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson told reporters. “It’s an active, ongoing investigation.” Anderson said that the police believe that there were students on campus who saw the body, and that officials are looking to track them down to gather statements and provide support, the New York Post reported. He noted that the death is likely to shake the small town of 15,000 residents to its core.

Pupils should do some coursework “in front of teachers” amid AI cheating fears (United Kingdom)

According to The Irish News, schools should make pupils do some of their coursework “in class under direct supervision” amid cheating fears after the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, exam boards have said. The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents the UK’s major exam boards, has published guidance for teachers and assessors on “protecting the integrity of qualifications” in the context of AI use. Schools should make pupils aware of the risks of using AI and the possible consequences of using it “inappropriately” in assessment, the guidance says. It adds, “Students who misuse AI such that the work they submit for assessment is not their own will have committed malpractice, in accordance with JCQ regulations, and may attract severe sanctions.” ChatGPT is a form of generative AI which has come to prominence in recent months after a version was released to the public last year.

Teachers in England and Wales facing “unmanageable” workload, survey finds (United Kingdom)

The Guardian reports that teachers have said that they are facing “unmanageable” levels of stress and workload, before the result of a crucial vote that could trigger further strikes and school closures in England in the coming weeks. Some teachers surveyed by the National Education Union (NEU) reported turning to antidepressants to cope, while 48 per cent said that their workload was unmanageable all or most of the time. In contrast, just 1 per cent of teachers said that their workload was always manageable. The NEU’s results echo the findings of an unpublished survey for the Department for Education (DfE), revealed by Schools Week. The DfE’s survey found that more than one in five teachers was working 60 hours or more each week during term time. Three-quarters of the 11,000 teachers and school leaders surveyed said that they had “unacceptable” workloads and spent too much time on administration.