Casino High under welfare review | Northern Rivers Education | Primary and Tertiary Education in Northern Rivers

Saffron Howden | 7th April 2009

THE NSW Education Department has begun a formal review of student welfare services at Casino High School.

A department spokesman denied the review was a response to public criticism of the school’s handling of bullying at the school, published in The Northern Star last month. He said the review, which has no timeline for completion, was flagged at the end of 2008.

Richmond Valley school education director Selwyn Nix was accompanied by two departmental welfare service investigators, Dr Lyn Gardon and Dave Harvey, when he visited the school last Friday.

“Selwyn was certainly there as a matter of routine doing staffing things,” the department spokesman said.

“The two people he had with him were there because the school has asked for support to review its student welfare services and processes.”

The spokesman said no particular issue prompted the review.

“It will form part of an ongoing process and it will be part of a program they started last year called the ‘positive behaviour for learning’ program.

“It will involve welfare consultants from the department looking at the welfare processes overall within the school to see if they can improve them.”

The Northern Star last month published the concerns of a handful of parents about ‘rampant’ bullying at the school.

One parent had removed her child from the school as a result of the problem. Others wished they could afford to do so.

One parent, Monica Killiby, took her complaints to State Clarence MP Steve Cansdell, who promised to pass them on to the NSW Education Minister, Verity Firth.

She has been collecting statements from other concerned parents since meeting Mr Cansdell.

Mrs Killiby said she was glad the school was doing something to tackle the problem.

“I’m pleased with that,” she said. “At least they’re doing something.”

The department spokesman could not say how the review would be conducted, or how often the consultants would visit the school.

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