Kambala principal Shane Hogan and school council president Ainslie van Onselen wrote to the Rose Bay school’s community on Wednesday afternoon,saying they were committed to addressing “issues of concern”.Credit:Louise Kennerley
It came after a group of alumni sent Mr Hogan and the Kambala board a document outlining their problems with the school’s reporting protocols.
They said grooming behaviours – such as when staff were “being overly interested in the sexual development of a student ... making jokes or innuendo of a sexual nature with a student” – should be reported to the school board and disciplined.
“[There is] need to foster an environment where students’ opinions,experiences and personal development in these matters,is deemed important and respected,” the former students wrote.
“If multiple concerns have been raised about a single teacher regarding[breaches] of the child protection policy it must be brought before the board in a timely manner for review to ensure the student’s mental wellbeing.”
The authors demanded Kambala make its reporting processes clearer,allow students anonymity,and offer mental health support when students came forward with complaints.
They also requested teachers be regularly educated about consent and Kambala’s child protection policy,and asked the school to revise its consent program to cover child grooming and online sexual conduct among other issues.