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

Half of Australian parents concerned their children are developing behavioural issues due to lockdowns

The Guardian reports that two-thirds of parents are concerned that lockdowns are affecting the mental health of their children, with half worried about emerging behavioural problems, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll. The survey of 1,100 people has also found strong support for the government to indemnify employers who provide COVID-19 vaccinations to their employees through workplace vaccination programs – something that is being pushed by business but which the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has ruled out. The Essential poll gauged the level of vaccine hesitancy for children, with about 50 per cent of people with children saying they will get them vaccinated, while 41 per cent say they want to but not straight away. The Fair Work Ombudsman last week issued fresh advice for employers considering making the COVID vaccine mandatory for workers, saying they needed to exercise caution and seek legal advice before doing so.

Calls to Kids Helpline surge in Melbourne and Sydney

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that recent lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney have driven a surge in calls by distressed children to the Kids Helpline, taking demand to the highest level recorded in the pandemic. The surge comes as education and child mental health experts warn that repeated periods of remote learning are doing cumulative harm to children. Schoolchildren in Melbourne have spent 27 days away from classrooms during lockdowns this year, on top of up to 108 days last year. Jordana Hunter, education program director of the Grattan Institute, said research by the Murdoch Children’s Institute had found that school closures can harm children. The Kids Helpline service is designed for children and youths aged five to 25. Tracy Adams, chief executive of Queensland-based charity yourtown, which manages the hotline, said the children who called spoke most often of lockdown-induced loneliness and uncertainty about what their lives will be like after the pandemic, and they expressed anger, sadness, loss and grief.

Teachers in Sydney hotspots receive vaccine access after 30 school closures

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that almost 32,000 teachers and school staff in Sydney’s west and south-west have been given priority vaccine access from Monday amid the escalating COVID-19 outbreak, which has forced more than 30 NSW schools to temporarily shut due to confirmed cases. The state government’s new priority vaccine program for both school staff and childcare workers in hotspot areas follows weeks of pressure from the Catholic school sector and teachers unions that has mounted as young people, including children and teenagers, make up the bulk of new infections. Seven schools have closed for cleaning since Sunday, despite the fact only children of essential workers and supervising staff have been attending in Sydney and other parts of NSW during lockdown. About 20 closures in August have been in government schools across the state, and five have been Catholic primary schools in the Parramatta diocese. There have also been several independent school closures, but there is no centralised record of those.

Private NSW schools want more autonomy over COVID-19 response

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that independent school principals say they want the freedom to make decisions about their schools within health guidelines, rather than having to follow a one-size-fits-all approach decided by the NSW Government. The Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) Geoff Newcombe said private schools varied in size, style and location, and their “experienced and highly capable” principals should be allowed to make the best decision for their community. At a meeting of independent principals earlier last week, many also raised concern about the Premier’s decision in late July to send all year 12 students back to class – which has since been wound back – as there was no consultation and it contradicted health advice, a source present at the meeting speaking on the condition of anonymity told the Herald. The Independent Education Union rejected AISNSW’s position last Thursday, saying private schools should not be left to decide their approach.

COVID cases could have been prevented by better ventilation, says leading aerosol scientist

The Age reports that schools, shopping centres and restaurants have become the epicentres of Victoria’s dangerous Delta clusters, but a respected aerosol scientist says some of this spread could have been prevented with improved ventilation of classrooms and public venues. Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska said carbon dioxide monitors should join QR codes and masks as standard measures used by business to help stop or reduce the severity of COVID-19 outbreaks. Scientists and other experts in the field say improved airflow is one of the best ways to prevent particles of the infectious Delta variant building up to dangerous levels. “Something needs to be done about this,” said the Professor, an adviser to the World Health Organisation who last year wrote an open letter signed by more than 200 scientists from around the world that warned the risk of airborne transmission was being dangerously underplayed. At least seven Victorian schools have dealt with Delta outbreaks in recent months, leaving dozens of students and teachers infected.

Canberra schools bunker down as Delta cases rise

The Educator reports that the Territory went into lockdown last Thursday after a positive case was identified as being infectious whilst in the community. However, Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, announced on Tuesday that the lockdown would be extended for another two weeks after 19 new cases were recorded. There are concerns that positive cases linked to two ACT schools will see further infections within school communities. Wendy Cave, co-president of the Australian Capital Territory Principals' Association, said school heads are being supported well by the ACT Education Directorate during lockdown. “We do consider ourselves fortunate, as leaders of ACT public schools, to have this time to prepare for the possibility of an extended period of remote learning,” Cave told The Educator. “We know we’ll all be doing our best to support the health, wellbeing, curiosity and growth of our children and young people, and supporting families and staff in many ways.”

Data reveals only 14 per cent of child sexual abuse claims before Family Court believed to be true by judges

The ABC News reports that legal experts have raised concerns abused children could be slipping through the cracks of Family Court proceedings, after the release of new data. A group of researchers reviewed seven years' worth of relevant cases — from 2012 to 2019 — and found that in only 14 per cent of contested cases, judicial officers expressed a direct belief that allegations of child abuse were true. Researchers have released the findings in a bid to prompt a discussion around whether or not Australia's legal system is equipped to deal with these types of allegations. The study also found that risk of sexual harm to a child was found in just 12 per cent of the 521 cases published in the Australasian Legal Information Institute's Australian database. Law professor Patrick Parkinson said the new data highlighted the challenges facing Family Court judicial officers and underlined the need for more resources to be made available to the courts to investigate these types of cases.

Andrews government fails to curb legal right to fire gay staff

The Age reports that the Andrews government has so far failed to honour an election pledge to stop religious schools discriminating against LGBTQ+ staff and students, who can still legally be sacked and expelled due to their sexuality. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and unions are pressing the state government for action after an investigation by The Age found gay and lesbian teachers were being dismissed or pressured to leave their jobs. The state Labor government has championed LGBTQ+ rights, banning gay conversion practices and allowing couples to adopt children regardless of their sexuality. But as an election looms next year, the government has been much slower on giving rights to LGBTQ+ people at religious schools. Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes did not respond directly to questions, saying there would be a response shortly to a parliamentary inquiry into the state’s anti-vilification protections.

Religious knives known as kirpans to be allowed in NSW schools after ban reversed

The ABC News reports that students in NSW will no longer be banned from bringing knives to schools on religious grounds, after a snap decision by the Department of Education was reversed. The ban was made after a 16-year-old was stabbed in the back and stomach in Sydney's north west by a miniature religious knife after a fight broke out three months ago. A 14-year-old boy continues to face serious charges after he stabbed the 16-year-old boy with a kirpan, a Sikh religious knife, at Glenwood High School in May. The case remains before the courts. The NSW Gurdwara Working Group, made up of representatives from Sydney Sikh temples, said the decision to reverse the ban was not a "win" for the religious group, but it was thankful for the compromise. Education Minister Sarah Mitchell decided to reverse the ban after making creating new guidelines around their use. The new guidelines will be implemented in schools from October.

INTERNATIONAL

Children hospitalised with COVID-19 in US hits record number (United States)

CTV News reports that the number of children hospitalised with COVID-19 in the United States hit a record high of just over 1,900 last Saturday, as hospitals across the South were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant. Children currently make up about 2.4 per cent of the nation's COVID-19 hospitalisations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine, leaving them more vulnerable to infection from the new, highly transmissible variant. The spike in new cases has ramped up tension between conservative state leaders and local districts over whether school children should be required to wear masks as they head back to the classroom this month. School districts in Florida, Texas and Arizona have mandated that masks be worn in schools, defying orders from their Republican state governors that ban districts from imposing such rules.

All 16- and 17-year-olds in England to be offered COVID jab (United Kingdom)

The Guardian reports that all 16- and 17-year-olds in England are to be offered a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Monday 23 August, the Department of Health has announced. The Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said the date would give teenagers two weeks to build up immunity before school starts again in September. Invitations are also being sent out in Wales, while older teenagers in Northern Ireland can use walk-in centres. In Scotland, older teens can register their interest online. Children aged 12 to 15 who are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 or who live with adults who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus are also being contacted by the NHS [National Health Service] and invited for a first vaccine dose by 23 August, ahead of the new school year. The National Education Union said the vaccinations of 16- and 17-year-olds would help reduce disruption to education in the next academic year, but said additional safety measures needed to continue in schools. Those aged 16 and above do not need their parents’ consent to get a vaccine as they are legally considered capable of making decisions about their own medical treatment.