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

Catholic education says religious freedom legislation must go hand-in-hand with the Law Reform Commission review

According to the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), National Catholic Education acting executive director Sally Egan said that the announcement of the terms of reference for the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) review of laws protecting faith-based schools shows some progress on this important issue but must go hand-in-hand with proactive legislation to protect religious rights in Australia. “For Catholic schools this means being able to preference the enrolment or employment of students or staff who are Catholic, or who are willing to support the ethos and mission of the school.” The terms of reference into the ALRC’s review into exemptions for religious education institutions in Federal anti-discrimination law include amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and other Federal anti-discrimination laws.

School sectors respond to draft teacher workforce action plan

According to The Educator, the Federal Government’s draft plan to fix the nation’s teacher crisis has been broadly welcomed by school sectors across Australia. The draft recommendations of the $328 million National Teacher Workforce Action Plan include $25 million to reduce teacher workloads, $56 million for scholarships worth up to $40,000 each, $68 million to encourage mid-career professionals to shift into teaching, and $10 million for a targeted national campaign to raise the status and value the role of teachers. The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has been involved in the consultation and development of the draft plan to attract, train and retrain teachers. NCEC acting executive director Sally Egan said that Catholic education was optimistic that the draft action plan will create a greater alignment between the academic program in universities and successful practicum experience that will lead to better quality Initial Teacher Education.

Australia's eSafety commissioner writes to Elon Musk concerned about Twitter's direction

ABC News reports that Australia's eSafety Commissioner says that Twitter is in for a "bumpy ride" under Elon Musk and has written to the self-dubbed "chief twit", expressing concern about the new direction of the social media platform. The billionaire tech mogul is preparing to overhaul some of the platform's key policies, including around content moderation and verification. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant – who previously worked in policy and safety at Twitter – told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday that the move could jeopardise safety online and allow misinformation to flourish. Ms Inman Grant wants clarification about whether Twitter would be recognising Australian laws, responding to regulatory requests and maintaining escalation paths. "We need more safety reinforcement, not less, and it makes everyone on the platform vulnerable," she said.

Teachers’ shock assault horror revealed

According to the Herald Sun, teachers are more likely to be assaulted on the job than the average worker, new research reveals. An Australian-first study by Monash University has found that educators faced an almost 75 per cent higher risk of being injured from an assault compared to other staff. The research, which analysed more than 1.5 million workers’ compensation claims from around Australia, showed that about 4.5 per cent of claims made by educators were assault-related, while just 2 per cent of non-educators made the same claim. But researchers warn that that figure could be much higher because “severe underestimates” caused by underreporting mean that teachers are also the group least likely to make an injury claim. Secondary school teachers faced the highest risk of being injured from an assault, making up 24,764 – or 29 per cent – of the 84,915 total educator compensation claims. Teachers were also 33 per cent more likely to claim for mental health-related issues.

NSW school closes after staff and student test positive to COVID-19

According to The Educator, a Sydney school has sent children home for the rest of the week after a third of the school’s staff and one secondary student tested positive. A letter from Tangara School for Girls Principal Rita Sakr instructed students from Years 7 to 11 to revert to remote learning until Friday. “Over the weekend, one-third of our secondary staff have tested positive to COVID-19… placing pressure on teaching, supervision and operational needs at our school,” the letter read. Sakr said that the remainder of the school campus (Prep to Year 6) remains fully operational, including the school’s administrative team. "Whilst we would have preferred not to revert to remote learning, the advice was prudent and may avert the further spread of the virus within Secondary and the need to isolate any other part of the school in the near future,” the letter read.

NESA News – Pens down for NSW HSC Class of 2022

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) congratulates the 67,327 HSC students who have now completed exams, with Food Technology and Design and Technology students sitting their final exams last Friday. The HSC is a major milestone that marks the end of 13 years of schooling. NESA wishes the HSC Class of 2022 all the best, in whatever they choose to do next. Assessment ranks are now available via Students Online and HSC results will be delivered via SMS and email on Thursday 15 December.

Hacked Victorian Government contractor says stolen data yet to be posted online

The Age reports that a technology company working for the Victorian Government says that none of the data stolen by hackers last week has been released online so far. PNORS Technology Group works with six state agencies, including the Education and Training Department, and stores sensitive personal information about families with children in primary schools, such as behavioural or alcohol and drug problems. Sources with knowledge of the situation said that data from the Victorian school entrance health questionnaire was included in the information stolen. All families who start at Victorian primary schools, including government, Catholic and independent schools, are required to complete the questionnaire. Sensitive personal information, such as behavioural issues or family alcohol and drug problems, is included on the form. In the early hours of Saturday, hackers contacted PNORS and shared a sample of what was believed to be stolen data.

Muslim student allegedly forced to watch offensive cartoon of Muhammad at Melbourne school

The Guardian reports that a Melbourne school has been accused of forcing a Muslim student to watch a cartoon depicting Muhammad in class, prompting an investigation by the State Government. A teacher at the Melbourne college allegedly played an “explicit and blasphemous” cartoon to the class that depicted the prophet Muhammad, according to the student’s father. The Victorian Department of Education and Training is investigating the incident. Depictions of the prophet are strictly prohibited in Islam, and the student reportedly expressed her concern to the teacher but was dismissed. In a Facebook status, the student’s father said that the teacher’s insistence on playing the cartoon caused his daughter “painful psychological and mental trauma”. The father has demanded that the school apologise and provide an explanation for why the cartoon was necessary.

Staying safe at Victorian school leaver celebrations

Victoria Police is reminding school leavers that, wherever they choose to celebrate during school leaver celebrations, remember to respect the community you’re in, respect the safety of those around you, and help to ensure that everyone has the chance to celebrate safely. Victoria Police has also provided guidance on illicit drugs at school leaver celebrations, getting help for a drug overdose or reaction, drinking safely at school leaver celebrations, getting help if you think your drink has been spiked, sexual assault and how to report it, and staying safe on the road.

Child sexual abuse survivors receive formal apology from Tasmanian Government in Parliament

ABC News reports that Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff and others have delivered an historic apology from Parliament to victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in state institutions, almost two years to the day since the Government announced an investigation into the allegations. Over the past two years, a Commission of Inquiry has heard a litany of harrowing evidence from people abused as children in various settings including hospitals, schools and detention centres. Mr Rockliff has previously apologised publicly on behalf of the Government, but this apology is a formal recognition from Parliament. "The Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Parliament unreservedly apologises to all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Tasmanian Government institutions," Mr Rockliff said. "No child should ever experience sexual abuse or any other form of abuse. No child who has been abused should ever experience a response that minimises or rejects their abuse," he said.

School chaos predicted as thousands of Tasmanian teachers walk off the job

ABC News reports that thousands of Tasmanian public school teachers were set to walk off the job and strike at lunchtime on Wednesday. Australian Education Union State president David Genford confirmed that teachers and support staff would take part in rallies campaigning for better pay and conditions for public servants. "We believe all our members will be walking offsite from 12:30pm on Wednesday," he said. Union leaders told Tasmanians that the industrial action would be disruptive, reminiscent of 2019 strike action that forced more than 100 schools to either close early or open late. Mr Genford said that teachers were "fed up" with high workloads and staff shortages, and industrial action was needed to get a formal pay offer that addressed those concerns.

Mobile phones banned in Northern Territory schools next year

According to 9news, the Northern Territory Government is banning the use of mobile phones in classrooms next year. The policy will ban students at government schools from using their phones throughout the day, including recess and lunch breaks, to help prevent distraction and social harm through their misuse. Students will be able to use mobile phones for learning, medical reasons or in emergencies. Primary students will not be allowed to bring devices to school or will have to leave them in the front office, while high school students will have to keep them turned off during school hours. Northern Territory Education Minister Eva Lawler said that teachers and families constantly told her they felt "powerless" when managing the impacts that mobile phones were having on children and young people: "This new policy is about creating the best learning environment for all students and supporting young people to genuinely focus and engage in their learning."

INTERNATIONAL

Schools install high-tech vape detectors as teen vaping rises (New Zealand)

According to rnz.co.nz, New Zealand schools are putting vaping detectors in bathrooms and students are ripping them down as New Zealand battles what the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation calls a teen vaping epidemic. "You would walk into the bathrooms and open the door and there'd be just a cloud of smoke come out," a former Christchurch secondary school student recalls. Vaping (e-cigarettes) has hit secondary schools up and down the country. Numerous studies have revealed the continued increase of vaping in schools. The largest New Zealand survey on youth vaping was run by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation with the New Zealand Secondary Principals' Association (SPANZ) in November last year. It reported that one in five secondary school students were vaping every day. The foundation, on its website, said that the survey was "carried out in response to growing concerns raised by parents, teachers and schools around the epidemic of teen vaping."

London pupils to be trained to recognise sexist behaviour (United Kingdom)

The Guardian reports that pupils in London are to be given “allyship training” as part of a package of measures designed to educate young people about healthy relationships and help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG). The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has invested £1 million in a new education toolkit, which is to be made available to all secondary schools in the capital to help pupils recognise and call out sexist and misogynistic behaviour. “We must put the onus of responsibility on men and boys to change the way they perceive, treat and talk about women if we are going to truly fix the problem of violence against women and girls and build a safer, fairer London for everyone,” said Khan. The mayor’s initiative will help pupils understand the impact of sexist and misogynistic behaviour on women and girls, as well as support them to identify and call out misogyny and help prevent VAWG.

New Zealand Rugby dramatically reduces tackle height to the belly in club and First XV rugby (New Zealand)

According to stuff.co.nz, rugby will undergo a seismic shift next year as New Zealand Rugby trials a reduction in the tackle height to below the sternum across all community rugby, including First XV schools rugby and senior premier club grades. The dramatic reduction in tackle height from the current laws of below the shoulders is one part of a package of three trials designed to make the game safer. The others relate to the scrum but there is no doubt that the tackle height reduction will be the most widely debated as rugby positions itself to be a sustainable sport in the shadow of concussion and concerns about long-term brain health. There is one caveat: while the first tackler must target the belly or below, the second tackler can still make contact under the current laws – beneath the shoulders. It’s understood that this is for practicality reasons and a concern that two tacklers targeting the same area would bring in other safety risks.