High school principal condemns ‘deplorable' antisemitic slurs by her students
A group of year 11 boys from Gladstone Park Secondary College are alleged to have called 10-year-old children from Mount Scopus Memorial College 'dirty Jews' as the two school groups mingled during the museum visit last week.
The incident has prompted investigations by Museums Victoria and the Education Department, an intervention by the state government to condemn the conduct and widespread revulsion in the Australian Jewish community and beyond.
In her response to parents and members of the public asking the school about the incident, Principal Veronica Hoy condemned the behaviour of the students responsible for the abuse.
'The behaviour of a group of some of our students at Melbourne Museum was completely deplorable,' Hoy wrote in her message.
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'We recognise that words and actions rooted in discrimination are not just hurtful, but deeply traumatic and unacceptable.'
Hoy said the students' behaviour at the museum did not reflect their school's values.
'These are not the behaviours I, or the leadership team at Gladstone Park SC, expect of our students, and they do not represent our values as a school community,' the principal wrote.
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