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Story 1.
Mr 13 is in high school and his mother gave the school the paperwork that says I have no rights to talk to the school.
But I have paperwork dated after hers which gives me my rights back. I gave a copy of those papers to the school and they said they past them onto the lawyers for clarification.
When that clarification came back they were told that I had no rights. As such they refused to even talk to me any further.
I tried to tell them that who ever had looked at the papers needed to have a look again and gave the exact paragraphs that gave me my rights.
No one would even take my calls.
This went on for 2 months. In the end I called the regions Community Liaison Officer.
It took her 3 weeks to get the school to fax her all the paperwork, Mark the paragraphs that were relevant and get a response back.
Surprise, surprise I do have rights and I have now been to his school and talked to his teacher.
Strategies are being put in place now to make sure he gets the help he needs.
6 months of school wasted because 1 principal wouldn't even take the time to sort out the problem with me.
How many other parents does this happen to?
Story 2.
23rd of July a boy in Miss 8's class was locked into a sports storeroom by a CRT(Casual Relief Teacher).
It was an accident but it turned out he was in there for at least an hour. The class had had sport and then were taken back to class to have lunch and then have play. At the end of play when the roll was being taken it was noticed that he was missing but the CRT had found him just at that moment when he was setting up for the next class.
The parents are beside themselves. They still can't get answers from the Principal or from the Department of Education that really explains how it could have happened.
In Australia the fire exit legislation is that at no point can you be more than 40 meters from and fire exit door no matter where you are in a building.
It also says that all doors to rooms that lock must have an emergency release handle or latch on the inside. (which this one doesn't)
On Monday just gone school council met for the regular meeting which I am a part of and again the Principal put the whole thing down like it wasn't really all that bad. Now remember we are talking about an 8 year old boy. How would you feel about being locked in a room with no one knowing where you are for an hour as well as thinking that you weren't going to get out.
Now it even gets worse. The lock smith that came to look at it said he didn't know how to fix it as this is the 2nd one he has looked at. He was forced by his boss to fix the lock on another schools door in the same type of sports hall but refused unless his boss signed off taking the blame from him for an illegal lock.
It gets even worse. I rang the Regions Senior Facilitates Officer about the problem and was told to distance myself from a problem that was none of my business even after I told him I think it is a design flaw and that other schools with this sports hall would be in the same condition.
He didn't think so. But since talking to him I have found that at least 1 more hall has the same problem. A number of fellow school council members are doing some research to find more before re-approach the Facilities officer with proof and demanding he do something about it or we will go to the papers.
It is unbelievable that people with authority can be this disrespectful of parents and their concerns.
We the parents that know about this 2nd problem are almost ready to go to the media just to bring it to the light and get this door fixed.
What do you think?
Mr 13 is in high school and his mother gave the school the paperwork that says I have no rights to talk to the school.
But I have paperwork dated after hers which gives me my rights back. I gave a copy of those papers to the school and they said they past them onto the lawyers for clarification.
When that clarification came back they were told that I had no rights. As such they refused to even talk to me any further.
I tried to tell them that who ever had looked at the papers needed to have a look again and gave the exact paragraphs that gave me my rights.
No one would even take my calls.
This went on for 2 months. In the end I called the regions Community Liaison Officer.
It took her 3 weeks to get the school to fax her all the paperwork, Mark the paragraphs that were relevant and get a response back.
Surprise, surprise I do have rights and I have now been to his school and talked to his teacher.
Strategies are being put in place now to make sure he gets the help he needs.
6 months of school wasted because 1 principal wouldn't even take the time to sort out the problem with me.
How many other parents does this happen to?
Story 2.
23rd of July a boy in Miss 8's class was locked into a sports storeroom by a CRT(Casual Relief Teacher).
It was an accident but it turned out he was in there for at least an hour. The class had had sport and then were taken back to class to have lunch and then have play. At the end of play when the roll was being taken it was noticed that he was missing but the CRT had found him just at that moment when he was setting up for the next class.
The parents are beside themselves. They still can't get answers from the Principal or from the Department of Education that really explains how it could have happened.
In Australia the fire exit legislation is that at no point can you be more than 40 meters from and fire exit door no matter where you are in a building.
It also says that all doors to rooms that lock must have an emergency release handle or latch on the inside. (which this one doesn't)
On Monday just gone school council met for the regular meeting which I am a part of and again the Principal put the whole thing down like it wasn't really all that bad. Now remember we are talking about an 8 year old boy. How would you feel about being locked in a room with no one knowing where you are for an hour as well as thinking that you weren't going to get out.
Now it even gets worse. The lock smith that came to look at it said he didn't know how to fix it as this is the 2nd one he has looked at. He was forced by his boss to fix the lock on another schools door in the same type of sports hall but refused unless his boss signed off taking the blame from him for an illegal lock.
It gets even worse. I rang the Regions Senior Facilitates Officer about the problem and was told to distance myself from a problem that was none of my business even after I told him I think it is a design flaw and that other schools with this sports hall would be in the same condition.
He didn't think so. But since talking to him I have found that at least 1 more hall has the same problem. A number of fellow school council members are doing some research to find more before re-approach the Facilities officer with proof and demanding he do something about it or we will go to the papers.
It is unbelievable that people with authority can be this disrespectful of parents and their concerns.
We the parents that know about this 2nd problem are almost ready to go to the media just to bring it to the light and get this door fixed.
What do you think?
