Latest news with #BenCarroll
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Power to expel students for poor behaviour outside school criticised as adding to Victorian educators' workload
Victorian school principals will soon have the power to suspend or expel students for their behaviour outside school, in a move that has been described as 'putting more pressure' on overworked educators. The state education minister, Ben Carroll, on Wednesday announced the expanded authority for principals to use when 'harmful behaviour' outside school and online puts other students and staff 'at serious risk'. It will come into effect from term three. Carroll told reporters it was a 'commonsense change' that principals and parents had long been calling for and would bring the state into line with New South Wales and South Australia. 'Poor behaviour has consequences, whether it's inside the classroom or out,' Carroll said. 'I've sat down with parents, with principals and indeed with students, where inappropriate behaviour has occurred outside the school gate and it's been very difficult for the perpetrator to be expelled or suspended.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The president and executive director of the Australian Secondary Principals' Association (Aspa), Andy Mison, said he supported the intent of the announcement but held concerns educators only discovered the news in the media. 'It would have been nice for Victorian principals to have had a bit of a heads up,' he said. 'This is a well-intentioned policy, but its implementation could be strengthened by consulting with principals about it before it was announced. 'If you want effective schools policy, it makes sense to involve those that have to implement that school policy.' Mison added that suspension and expulsion should only be used as 'absolutely last resort measures' with the aim being to support children to learn at their best. 'This is an acknowledgment that there are issues outside the school gate and that schools shouldn't be responsible for managing all of those things,' he said. 'It takes a village to raise a child. We just can't keep putting more and more pressure, expectation and accountability on schools to solve all the problems of society. Lecturer in early childhood at RMIT, Dr Elise Waghorn, said while the new powers would receive significant support, 'prevention is better than the cure'. She said greater emphasis should be given on educating parents and young people about unsafe behaviours and online safety, instead of 'constantly putting more pressure on teachers'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Principals or teachers shouldn't feel they are put in a position to expel children based on their online activity. It's not enough to just expel children – there needs to be education,' Waghorn said. 'We need to give a really clear message that it's not the school or the parents in isolation, we need to … prevent this behaviour as a community.' Carroll said harmful behaviour could include anything from physical assault to bullying to the distribution of 'deepfakes', where real images of a person are run through artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit material. The use of artificial intelligence to create pornographic deepfakes of fellow school students has been the subject of multiple police investigations in recent months, raising alarm among federal crossbenchers. It comes amid growing concern over the behaviour of young people, with a recent survey finding instances of physical violence towards principals had increased by 82% since reporting began in 2011, while threats of violence were also at their highest rate in the same period. Last month, the federal government launched a review into bullying and cyberbullying at schools, with the aim of developing a nationally consistent response to the issue. The eSafety Commissioner is also in the process of drafting an industry code designed to protect children from age-inappropriate content, including pornography, high-impact violence and material relating to self-harm, suicide and disordered eating. 'We want to encourage kids to be coming to school hungry, to learn, not fearful or worried about what might have occurred over the weekend or indeed, overnight online, and how that will affect the school environment,' Carroll said.
The Age
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Northland machete brawlers should be kicked out of school, government says
Two boys allegedly involved in last month's machete brawl at Northland shopping centre should be expelled from school using upcoming expanded principal powers, the Victorian government has said. Education Minister Ben Carroll said he would expect the two school-aged boys accused of participating in the brawl that terrified Sunday-afternoon shoppers at the popular retail centre to suffer serious consequences from their schools. Carroll announced the upgraded powers for state schools to punish off-campus behaviour that puts students or teachers at serious risk – such as online bullying – on Wednesday morning, saying the change had been introduced successfully in other states. But principals warned the government to 'proceed with caution' before granting the new powers from next month. Loading The principals' peak body told the Department of Education that parents would expect school leaders to act like law enforcement officials when they are granted the expanded powers, aimed predominantly at online misconduct that has an adverse affect in the classroom or playground. Australian Principals Federation president Tina King said the profession had been blindsided on Wednesday morning when Carroll announced the changes. A school community in Melbourne's west was left reeling last week when footage was widely circulated online showing students allegedly attacking other children with a machete in the toilets of a local McDonald's. It is unclear if the new powers for principals would apply in those circumstances. Carroll says the new powers are based on similar arrangements in NSW and South Australia, where principals can suspend or expel students for out-of-school conduct.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Northland machete brawlers should be kicked out of school, government says
Two boys allegedly involved in last month's machete brawl at Northland shopping centre should be expelled from school using upcoming expanded principal powers, the Victorian government has said. Education Minister Ben Carroll said he would expect the two school-aged boys accused of participating in the brawl that terrified Sunday-afternoon shoppers at the popular retail centre to suffer serious consequences from their schools. Carroll announced the upgraded powers for state schools to punish off-campus behaviour that puts students or teachers at serious risk – such as online bullying – on Wednesday morning, saying the change had been introduced successfully in other states. But principals warned the government to 'proceed with caution' before granting the new powers from next month. Loading The principals' peak body told the Department of Education that parents would expect school leaders to act like law enforcement officials when they are granted the expanded powers, aimed predominantly at online misconduct that has an adverse affect in the classroom or playground. Australian Principals Federation president Tina King said the profession had been blindsided on Wednesday morning when Carroll announced the changes. A school community in Melbourne's west was left reeling last week when footage was widely circulated online showing students allegedly attacking other children with a machete in the toilets of a local McDonald's. It is unclear if the new powers for principals would apply in those circumstances. Carroll says the new powers are based on similar arrangements in NSW and South Australia, where principals can suspend or expel students for out-of-school conduct.
West Australian
7 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Principals given power to suspend, expel students outside school grounds
The Allan government has announced sweeping new powers for school principals across Victoria, allowing them to take further action for student behaviour outside school grounds and the first day of term 3 this year, principals across Victorian schools will have expanded powers to suspend or expel students for behaviour outside the school gates and behind a screen. The change in powers is in line with NSW and South Australia, which have implemented such capacities for principals to suspend, exclude or expel students for behaviour that could affect student and staff safety. It is also in response to an increase in online abuse and harassment among students, particularly online, including deepfakes and AI-generated images. In February , police launched an investigation after a 'number of sexually explicit, digitally generated images of teenage girls who attend Gladstone Park Secondary College were circulated online'. Education Minister Ben Carroll said the change would 'send a clear message that harmful behaviour outside of school or online has consequences'. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first,' he said.'The safety of students, teachers and school staff is our top priority – we're investing in programs that foster more respectful schools and acting to protect school communities. 'This builds on our nation-leading ban on mobile phones in schools and our support of a social media ban for kids – keeping kids safe in the classroom and online.' As part of the sweeping new powers, $4.2m will be invested to offer support for victims who experienced sexual harm and abuse from another student – either online or in person – through Sexual Assault Services Victoria. The state budget also allocated $10.4m to expand the Positive Behaviour Support program, which teaches students appropriate behaviour, develops safe learning spaces and offers support for students who require behavioural assistance.
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Principals given power to suspend, expel students outside school grounds
The Allan government has announced sweeping new powers for school principals across Victoria, allowing them to take further action for student behaviour outside school grounds and online. From the first day of term 3 this year, principals across Victorian schools will have expanded powers to suspend or expel students for behaviour outside the school gates and behind a screen. The change in powers is in line with NSW and South Australia, which have implemented such capacities for principals to suspend, exclude or expel students for behaviour that could affect student and staff safety. It is also in response to an increase in online abuse and harassment among students, particularly online, including deepfakes and AI-generated images. In February, police launched an investigation after a 'number of sexually explicit, digitally generated images of teenage girls who attend Gladstone Park Secondary College were circulated online'. Education Minister Ben Carroll said the change would 'send a clear message that harmful behaviour outside of school or online has consequences'. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first,' he said. 'The safety of students, teachers and school staff is our top priority – we're investing in programs that foster more respectful schools and acting to protect school communities. 'This builds on our nation-leading ban on mobile phones in schools and our support of a social media ban for kids – keeping kids safe in the classroom and online.' As part of the sweeping new powers, $4.2m will be invested to offer support for victims who experienced sexual harm and abuse from another student – either online or in person – through Sexual Assault Services Victoria. The state budget also allocated $10.4m to expand the Positive Behaviour Support program, which teaches students appropriate behaviour, develops safe learning spaces and offers support for students who require behavioural assistance.
