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

Schools prime targets for ransomware attacks – study

According to The Educator, schools are among the prime targets for ransomware attacks due to their lack of strong cybersecurity defences and the goldmine of personal data they hold, a new global survey has found. The State of Ransomware in Education 2022 survey, conducted by global cybersecurity company Sophos, found that both higher and lower education are increasingly being hit with ransomware, with 60 per cent suffering attacks in 2021 compared with 44 per cent in 2020. Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos, said, “Education institutions are less likely than others to detect in-progress attacks, which naturally leads to higher attack success and encryption rates. Considering the encrypted data is most likely confidential student records, the impact is far greater than what most industries would experience.”

Problem gaming leading to aggression, school refusal and self-harm

The Age reports that tens of thousands of Australian teenagers are gaming at pathological levels, which in extreme cases is leading to prolonged school refusal, threats of self-harm and aggression towards family members. A new study has found that those most vulnerable to developing internet gaming disorder (IGD) not only struggled with their impulses but also felt unsupported or disconnected from their families and disempowered in their outside environment. However, the researchers also said that the behavioural addiction could be addressed by targeting the students’ risk factors, such as building students’ confidence and tackling the relationship issues leading to their social isolation. Associate Professor Wayne Warburton, who led the study, said the likelihood of a teen having a clinical problem with gaming grew with their risk factors, which included being male, having low self-esteem and feeling socially isolated.

School’s totally cool for the kids to return to classrooms if they follow Covid control measures

According to The Australian, infectious disease experts say children are safe to return to school ahead of an anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases, although some recommend following infection prevention control measures such as wearing masks. Wearing masks in schools is not mandated by any state or territory, although education departments encourage wearing face protection if parents feel it is necessary. Infectious diseases expert Robert Booy said children were not the drivers of major outbreaks and tended to suffer milder infections than adults. However, he said that sensible measures such as mask wearing and social distancing in schools should continue, with case numbers expected to peak in early August before falling at the end of the month. Australia is grappling with the spread of the highly infectious BA. 4 and BA. 5 sub-variants.

NSW vaccination requirements for school sites

The NSW Department of Education has announced its updated policy position regarding COVID-19 vaccination for employees. Implementation of the updated policy will be phased in at Department sites from the beginning of Term Three with unvaccinated staff able to return to the workplace from Monday 1 August 2022. Department staff, including school-based staff, will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. The exception is staff working in, or volunteering/visiting, schools for specific purposes (SSPs), who are required to be double vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine (or hold a valid medical contraindication). All staff at SSPs, and Department of Education staff who are visiting or volunteering directly with students at SSPs, will need to attest that they meet the mandatory double vaccination requirements against COVID-19. They will be asked to show evidence of vaccination.

NSW schools to begin four-week COVID-19 “blitz” as Term 3 begins

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that NSW public schools will begin a “four-week blitz” to stem the spread of COVID-19, with more than nine million rapid antigen test kits to be distributed. The NSW Education Department has stopped short of mandating masks, but staff and students will be strongly encouraged to wear them and additional supplies made available to schools. The Department said students at affected schools could also be directed to work from home for short periods if required. The new measures come as the vaccine mandate for teachers and staff, except those working with high-risk students, is set to be lifted. A number of private schools are also strongly encouraging the use of masks, with at least one continuing to enforce a mandate. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said there had been a 30 per cent increase in sick days taken by teachers and staff this year, which was directly related to COVID-19 and flu.

Letter urges Victorian parents to send children to school in masks as Covid surges

The Guardian reports that the Victorian Education Department and independent schools have written a letter to parents urging students over the age of eight to wear masks at school. While masks are not currently mandated for general student populations anywhere in Australia, a letter signed by the heads of the Victorian Government, Catholic and independent schools sectors asks students aged eight and over to wear masks during class and if travelling on public transport. Dr Nusrat Homaira, a paediatric respiratory epidemiologist at the University of NSW, said the benefits of children attending school in person outweighed the risks of COVID-19. “Children still seem to be at a lower risk of severe Covid, and they also are at less risk of acquiring infection compared to adults,” she said. “Covid has already caused a lot of damage in terms of mental health [and] learning difficulties in our children.”

Call for Andrews Government to broaden Victoria’s workplace harassment reforms

According to the Herald Sun, the Andrews Government is facing calls to extend its proposed workplace harassment reforms to also cover civil settlements that involve child sexual abuse survivors. The Victorian Government last week announced sexual harassment claims would be handled the same way as other workplace safety issues under reforms that would also restrict the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims. However, Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party says the “hypocritical” Andrews Government should expand these nation-leading reforms to include civil matters in which child sexual abuse has been systemic, including at government schools, unless the victim-survivor expressed a wish for an NDA to be used. A State Government spokesperson said Victoria had led the country in reforms to support victim-survivors of child sexual abuse. “We will carefully consider any proposal to further restrict the use of NDAs,” she said.

Safety fears at Victorian autism school after student flees through shared gate

The Age reports that a Victorian school for autistic children is demanding action to improve child safety after an intellectually disabled girl fled recently, exiting through a shared gate that is left open during school hours for members of the public to attend two community groups on the site. The girl was found by police at the Mernda railway line and taken in a distressed state to hospital. The school community is pushing for the Andrews Government to fix a security problem it says puts the safety of almost 200 vulnerable children at risk. Students enter the school via a secure door, buzzed open from inside the front office. But there is an unsupervised pedestrian gate on the campus’ southern boundary. The school council – comprised of parents and the school principal – fears the shared access places their vulnerable children at risk and has warned the Andrews Government that the arrangement fails Victoria’s recently strengthened Child Safe Standards.

Queensland schools updating COVID-19 contingency plans as outbreak spreads during flu season

ABC News reports that teachers are warning that classrooms are feeling the strain of Queensland's most recent COVID-19 wave, with some schools considering a return to online learning. The warning comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk issued a plea for children to wear masks in schools but stopped short of issuing a mandate. Terry Burke, Queensland Branch Secretary of the Independent Education Union (IEU), said staff at independent schools were struggling with absences just one week into Term Three. "We've had one week of school. It's been a pretty tough week, and I think people are a bit apprehensive about going back for the second week," he said. Mr Burke said the staffing shortages were hitting non-government schools hard, with some schools even considering a return to online learning. COVID-19 cases are rising across Australia and Queensland has the second-highest number of hospitalisations.

Video game character Huggy Wuggy triggers warning from South Australian school to parents

ABC News reports that a senior education expert has warned that children are being left "terrified" by the “Huggy Wuggy” viral video game character's appearance in social media content. An Adelaide primary school has written to parents warning that content featuring the "sinister online character" has made its way "into children's mainstream content" on social media and gaming platforms, where it is accompanied by horror-themed imagery including pools of blood. "Huggy Wuggy, a blue teddy bear who sings songs about hugging and killing people, is appearing across TikTok, Roblox and Minecraft," the letter stated. The school stated that the intention of flagging the trend was not to prompt a knee-jerk concern, but to ensure that parents were "aware of the latest harmful trend doing the rounds".

INTERNATIONAL

Pandemic causes millions of children to miss out on vaccinations, study finds

According to 9news.com.au, a study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a massive drop in the uptake of childhood vaccinations. The World Health Organisation and UNICEF found the percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis fell by five points to 81 per cent between 2019 and 2021. This equates to roughly 25 million children missing out on one or more doses of basic vaccines in 2021 alone. "This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives," Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, said. Of the 25 million children, 18 million didn't receive a single dose of basic vaccines and the vast majority live in low and middle-income countries. India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines recorded the highest number of children not getting vaccinated.

Fewer people have been reporting child abuse in the Northwest Territories. That might not be a good thing (Canada)

CBC News reports that as the Omicron wave of COVID-19 descended on Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT) in January, schools closed and classes moved online – and the number of people reporting child abuse plummeted. It still isn't clear what the total social impacts of COVID-19 restrictions were in the NWT, but fears that less school could mean fewer people reporting suspicions of child abuse appear to have been borne out in recent data collected by the NWT Government. Concern that social isolation might inhibit people from reporting child maltreatment or neglect was part of what drove the Government to assemble a working group in May 2020. Since the reports first began in December 2020, they have warned that the data should not be taken at face value: fewer reports of child abuse doesn't mean fewer children are being abused, it just means the abuse is less visible.

Judge blocks Biden Administration's directives on transgender athletes, bathrooms (United States of America)

According to Reuters, a Federal judge in Tennessee has temporarily blocked Biden Administration directives allowing transgender workers and students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and join sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. Judge Charles Atchley Jr. of the Eastern District of Tennessee ruled recently that the Administration's directives would make it impossible for some states to enforce their own laws on transgender athletes' participation in girls' sports and access to bathrooms. A coalition of 20 Republican attorneys general brought a lawsuit last year against the Federal Government, noting that they stood to lose significant Federal funding as the Biden directives were in conflict with their own state laws. The U.S. Justice Department, Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are named as defendants in the lawsuit.