Thursday, 5 October 2023

Ballarat Specialist School

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (18:25): (493) I rise to speak on an issue that will probably make everyone utterly horrified. It is for the Minister for Education, and it concerns the Ballarat Specialist School. As reported by Susie O’Brien in the Herald Sun, there was an article titled ‘Damning dossier of complaints from parents and staff at Ballarat Specialist School’, which reveals a number of concerns put forward by parents and staff. Ballarat Specialist School, which is in my electorate, works with young people who have a disability. The action I seek is this: I want the minister to open a full independent investigation and produce a report that is publicly available whilst respecting the rights of individuals and potential victims and families.

I note that the concerns of many that have been raised in public only relate to some staff, not all, so I do not wish to put anything on the record that tries to paint all staff as being problematic. But the list of complaints that have been raised publicly includes: children being left alone at school pick-up; restraints used on four students; students being pushed, kicked and verbally abused; students being locked in separate rooms on a daily basis; inappropriate behaviour and handling of young people, including one teacher having snuggle time with a student; and age-inappropriate discussions as well. One parent said her son, who has Down syndrome, was repeatedly excluded after being incorrectly tested. This young person was placed in a non-verbal classroom and started making meowing sounds and stopped speaking. Her son is now 17. He cannot read and he cannot write and has had a mental breakdown. Another student ended up in ICU after eating a yoga mat after being left unattended. There are other claims that school students were excluded from camps because they were too difficult to deal with. One staff member said they had been reprimanded for trying to advance the life skills of students and was distressed by other staff calling students names and humiliating them. One member of the school council said that staff who spoke up were called troublemakers and were harassed until they left.

I would hope that the government would respond to this in a timely manner. This is obviously a very sensitive matter. Children and vulnerable young people need to know that they can feel safe and supported in a learning environment, parents need to have the confidence that their young person is not going to come home harmed and the community needs to know that the most vulnerable young people, those that need that extra support, get the care that they deserve in a kind and supported way. I hope the minister does something about this, because it has impacted me, it has impacted many locals and I dare say it is such a poor reflection on the education system. I take the point that it is not all teachers that the discussion is about here, it is just some, but the fact that this just happens even once is an absolute shame. So, Minister, please, please, please, I implore you, look into this for the children’s sake.