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

Australia’s borders to remain closed to international students for now, says PM Scott Morrison

SBS Punjabi reports that, dashing hopes of thousands of international students and other temporary visa holders who remain locked outside Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said opening the country’s international borders at this time would not be considered “safe or wise.” Mr Morrison said there’s no “disagreement amongst any of the premiers or the chief ministers about the closure of international borders and the current arrangements we have for that, which extends out to the end of June”. Questioned if the government had decided to allow international students to return to the country, Mr Morrison said there was no change on that front. The Prime Minister’s statements on international borders come days after Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the extension of the "human biosecurity emergency period", which bars temporary visa holders from entering the country and stops permanent residents and citizens from leaving without a travel exemption. On Tuesday, last week Mr Hunt said the ban set to expire on 17 March has now been extended for another three months due to the "unacceptable risk" of COVID outbreaks in other countries.

[Note: the article does not specifically mention overseas students in schools.]

NSW school principals in crisis meeting after petition detailed thousands of alleged sexual assaults

The ABC News reports that more than 100 private school principals have convened for a crisis meeting following a petition detailing thousands of alleged sexual assaults against former students. During an online webinar, NSW Police Sex Crimes Squad boss Stacey Maloney responded to questions from the heads of the Catholic, independent and government schools across the state about sexual violence. The Association of Independent Schools NSW (AISNSW) organised the meeting with 480 school members, representing 214,000 students. AISNSW chief executive Geoff Newcombe said it was powerful having Ms Maloney attend. The key elements discussed during the meeting were about consent education, protocols on reporting, and the safety, welfare and wellbeing of young people. The AISNSW will now begin work on a strategy and statement of intent to address sexual violence within NSW schools. Within the AISNW a high-level unit has also been set up to enhance its support to schools on safety, respectful relationships and consent among students.

Bipartisan push for sexual consent education and reform

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that NSW MPs from across the political divide are sponsoring a new petition led by activist Chanel Contos urging the state government to improve the sex education curriculum and reform consent laws. Three female members, including government MP Felicity Wilson, Greens MP Jenny Leong and Labor’s Marjorie O’Neill, are supporting Ms Contos’ ePetition, which launched on International Women’s Day. It calls for sex education to cover issues including “rape culture, slut shaming, sexual coercion and queer sex”, and also demands urgent law reform “to require sexual consent to be enthusiastic consent”. The official ePetition needs 20,000 signatures to trigger a debate in the lower house and follows Ms Contos’ online petition, which has so far been signed by almost 30,000 people. The NSW government has been considering a Law Review Commission report into sexual consent laws since last year, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian insisting it remains a priority.

Police Minister’s message to teen rape victims

The Courier-Mail reports that Queensland’s Police and Emergency Services Minister has urged all teen victims of sexual assault to come forward after last week’s The Courier-Mail story highlighted the harrowing stories of sexual assault of teenage girls by their male counterparts. Many young victims reported feeling guilty, scared or even unsure if they had been abused, prompting Minister Mark Ryan to reiterate the importance of reaching out for help. Queensland school students, some as young as 12, last week shared their own heartbreaking stories of sexual assault, rape and online sexual abuse as near 30,000 people signed a petition calling for sexual consent education to be introduced at all schools in the country, from a young age. The confronting stories come as kids’ advocacy group, Act for Kids, reports a growing demographic of children are exhibiting sexually harmful behaviours towards other kids across Queensland.

Student sexual assault survivors given $40 million in compensation from 2000-2020

The Daily Telegraph reports that almost $40 million in compensation has been paid to student sexual assault victims in the past 20 years. NSW Department of Education data obtained by The Daily Telegraph revealed sexual assault compensation payouts ballooned in recent years. Up to $9 million was paid out to survivors in a single year, the data obtained under freedom of information from the Department’s insurer iCare revealed. The bulk of the compensation was for historical sexual assaults which happened before 1989, where over $30.6 million worth of compensation was paid to 131 sexual abuse survivors out of state government reserves. A Department of Education spokesman said the spike in compensation claims since 2016 was because laws enforcing time limits on child sexual abuse being reported were abolished then. The highest total of compensation came in 2019 when $9.4m was paid to 40 survivors who were assaulted between 1966 and 1989.

Catholic education branches out with new schools in growth suburbs

The Age reports that the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria is seeking state and federal funding for its plans to open half-a-dozen schools in Melbourne’s fast-growing outer suburbs over the next two years. Six Catholic schools will open in 2022 and 2023 – in Cranbourne, North Cranbourne, Craigieburn and Greenvale, with a primary and a secondary school in Melton South. A further seven primary schools and two secondary colleges are planned to open by 2025. In recent years, the Commission has shut a handful of primary schools in affluent inner suburbs because of low enrolments. Victoria is nearing the halfway mark of the Andrews government’s pledge to build 100 new government schools by 2026, mostly in the fastest-growing parts of the state. Twenty-three schools or campuses – 14 state, six independent and three Catholic — opened their doors this year across Victoria, predominantly in growth areas such as Armstrong Creek, Aintree and Eynesbury. Education expert Peter Goss said Victoria was in the middle of a school population boom on a scale not seen for at least half a century.

A whole-school approach to improving student attendance

The Educator reports that studies have shown that students who refuse school and do not return to school experience poor life outcomes, including lower employment prospects, issues maintaining social relationships and mental health challenges. Recognising this, Australia’s school leaders are mindful of the need to set up comprehensive supports for disengaged students, including return to school strategies and mentoring. Jacqui Rainey, Association of Independent Schools NSW (AISNSW) Education Consultant and Clinical Psychologist, works with the organisation’s Student Services team. She said there are several important approaches principals can take in driving whole school approaches to improving student attendance. One of them, she says, is communicating high expectations for attendance to the school community within the context of the school’s values. In addition, as part of high expectations for attendance, Ms Rainey close monitoring and early follow-up in the form of a conversation should be provided in the case that a student has been late, missed a class or missed a day.

South Australia’s overflowing schools: Search the data as city high schools exceed their enrolment capacity

The Advertiser reports that Adelaide’s two city high schools are projected to be hundreds of students over their combined capacity next year, as new modelling reveals the schools under the most enrolment pressure across the state. Despite a $1.3 billion investment in upgrades and new schools to cope with the shift of Year 7 into high schools next year and other population pressures, some schools – even freshly expanded ones – will need transportable classrooms added as well. Department boss Rick Persse said the city schools were under “a lot of pressure” because parents of 95 per cent of in-zone students who had attended public primary schools wanted places at Adelaide or Botanic. Previously a greater portion was lost to the private system. Mr Persse said capacity pressures included improvements in the performance of public schools luring parents, pandemic-related financial issues driving some families out of the private system, and the fact that fewer South Australians were moving interstate.

Northern Territory increases online learning subsidy for isolated families

The Educator reports that the Northern Territory Government has increased the subsidy it provides to isolated families to better support their children’s online learning. Lauren Moss, the Territory’s Minister of Education, announced that families in remote areas will have their internet costs subsidised up to $165 per month – an increase of $110. In a statement, the NT Government said that more than 50 isolated families and their children, who undertake study through distance education, will benefit from the subsidy. The government added that the subsidy will remain in place as it works with stakeholders “to identify a long-term solution to ensure that students and young children accessing distance learning have more consistent and sustainable internet services.” The NT Government said that the subsidy comes on top of other support provided to students living on properties and other isolated areas – including teacher and support staff home visits, assistance for students with additional needs through the coordination of support services, the conveyance subsidy, and additional allowances for boarding students.

NSW to trial free tampons and sanitary pads in public schools

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the NSW Department of Education will trial a program to hand out free pads and tampons to address period poverty in schools. At a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday last week, the Department’s secretary, Mark Scott, said NSW was looking to follow the actions of states such as South Australia, which is making pads and tampons free to ensure girls do not miss school because they cannot access sanitary items. Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall, has put the issue of period poverty on the national agenda, saying periods should not be a barrier to education or cause shame, and menstrual products should be accessible and affordable. Last year, Victoria became the first state or territory in Australia to ensure free period products in every government school. The initiative will continue until June 2023. South Australia followed suit, announcing in February it would provide free sanitary products to all female students in year 5 and above.

INTERNATIONAL

Teacher vaccinations go untracked amid school reopening push (United States)

The Chicago Daily Herald reports that the national rush to vaccinate teachers in hopes of soon reopening pandemic-shuttered schools is running into one basic problem: Almost no one knows how many are getting the shots, or refusing to get them. States and many districts have not been keeping track of school employee vaccinations, even as the US prioritises teachers nationwide. Vaccines are not required for educators to return to school buildings, but the absence of data complicates efforts to address parents' concerns about health risk levels and some teachers’ unions' calls for widespread vaccinations as a condition of reopening schools. Some state agencies and districts have said privacy concerns prevent them from tracking or publishing teacher vaccination data. Others say vaccine administration sites are not tracking recipients' occupations and they are not in a position to survey employees themselves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not include vaccinating teachers in its guidelines for schools to consider when to bring students back to classrooms. But vaccines have been a sticking point in reopening debates.

How many teachers have had COVID-19 but didn't know it? Researchers want to find out (Canada)

CTV News reports that the debate over the safety of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic is coming under researchers' microscopes. Three new projects are aiming to determine how many teachers and school staff in Canada have had COVID-19, to help inform prevention strategies in neighbourhoods, schools and daycare centres. About $2.9 million will be spent on the research in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec as part of the work of the national COVID-19 immunity task force (CITF). All three projects will ask teachers for blood samples to determine how many have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, which would indicate a previous COVID-19 infection. The research will also delve into the question of teachers' mental health, a key area of concern for educators in recent months. While the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is released daily, the true number of how many people in Canada have been infected can't actually be known without widespread surveillance testing. The CITF was set up by the federal government to understand the factors in immunity to COVID-19.