Pubdate: Mon, 16 Apr 2007
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2007 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5

RESPONSIBILITY LIES BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

CYBERSPACE can be as daunting as the universe or as  restrictive as a
schoolyard. The problems arise when  the smaller is allowed to invade
the larger. This  happened last week when footage of aggressive
bullying  at Xavier College, filmed late last year on a student's
mobile phone and distributed to others, made it into  the wider
domain. It has since been seen on television  and the internet. Xavier
has suspended five students,  and the bullying allegations are being
investigated by  the police.

This came two days after police came to the school to  investigate
another incident: allegations that a year  11 student sold drugs on
the school grounds in  February. Although one student was expelled and
three  others suspended, police became involved only after the  matter
was made public. Xavier has been widely  criticised by parents,
students and anti-drug groups  for failing to report the incident and,
instead,  referring the students concerned for counselling.

There are two factors here. The first is the anomaly  between
government schools, which are obliged to report  all criminal matters
to the police, and private  schools, which as independent entities,
are not. The  second, by inference, is that private schools, in the
belief that handling such serious matters internally is  discipline
enough, are putting themselves beyond the  law. The crux is that all
schools have a responsibility  not only to students, but to parents
who have every  right to expect appropriate care and discipline. Drug
peddling on the streets is illegal and those caught pay  the
consequence, as do the perpetrators of violence and  other forms of
public humiliation. The same should  apply behind school gates,
especially when those  involved are young, vulnerable and susceptible.
Private  schools should not leave the law in their own hands.
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MAP posted-by: Derek