ACT Government finally responds to school cage incident

Belco77 said :

Clearly this was not the best way to deal with child who has special needs however under the new workplace health and safety laws that principal (an officer) is under a legal obligation to protect the teacher (employee) from harm . If the principal knew that the teacher was in danger of bodily harm from this child , then the principal risks jail time if the principal doesn’t do everything reasonably possible to prevent that harm .

Of course, another way to comply with your WHS obligations is not to have the kid in the classroom in the first place. Clearly someone in the Directorate dropped the ball.

Umm, am not a parent and don’t know much about ACT schools, schooling and/or education policy but why is a child who has the potential to cause harm to others (or him/herself) being educated in a mainstream school? I dare say someone will respond that kids with special needs should be allowed to be educated with others for no doubt very good reasons – socialisation, good educational outcomes etc – with which I would agree, up to a point, depending on the ‘special need’, the degree of disablement, the potential for good for the child; all of which, though, surely would have to be balanced against any potential for harm. But I’m sure that if I were to have children I would be very loath to have them attending a school where there was a potential for violence, disturbance and harm because of the presence of a child whose behaviour was so disturbed. I also think that the carers of the child involved in this incident bear as much responsibility as the principal; they must know/have known about their child’s potential to cause problems and should have been monitoring the situation accordingly. Were the parents/carers aware of the ‘cage’ and the purpose to which it was put? If they weren’t, they can’t have been keeping too close an eye on what went on at the school. If they were then the principal would seem to have been dealt with very harshly. Further, what would have been the liability of the principal, the education department and the child’s parents if serious injury or harm were to have been caused by the child to other pupils or to staff?

Clearly this was not the best way to deal with child who has special needs however under the new workplace health and safety laws that principal (an officer) is under a legal obligation to protect the teacher (employee) from harm . If the principal knew that the teacher was in danger of bodily harm from this child , then the principal risks jail time if the principal doesn’t do everything reasonably possible to prevent that harm .

Nilrem said :

Have we got our policy settings rights when one sick child can disrupt the whole class regularly? Should such a child be in the mainstream education system?

Yup, that’s right. The PC brigade are once again working themselves into a lather as to why one person’s behaviour should hold everyone else to ransom. What about all the other kids’ right to an education and a safe environment? Whether this kids’ behaviour was due to autism, personality, or a combination of factors, why should he not be restrained if he is a menace and there is no specialist intervention? This is all bizarre and stupid.

The principal provided a practical solution in the interests of the majority. If the education head bureaucrats want a different solution, then they should provide the special care required (they might even get a free 5-star two-week holiday to Europe to ‘study’ a solution). Re-instate the principal, and send the boy off to wherever his behaviour can be dealt with or accommodated or creatively enabled or whatever the PC phrase is for that.

Ghettosmurf87 said :

london said :

I still don’t believe it was a cage.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/cage-for-autistic-child-at-canberra-school-a-shocking-wakeup-call-20150909-gjictu.html

looks quite cage like to me…

One persons cage is another persons refuge..possibly

Masquara said :

HiddenDragon said :

Nilrem said :

“The inquiry, overseen at arm’s length from Minister Joy Burch’s office, found the principal was solely responsible for the incident.

Minister Burch told my radio program she felt physically ill after learning of the “cage-like structure”. She says the decision to erect such a thing was made without input, consultation or approval from the school or the directorate.

Errr, so the Principal was running the school like some kind of rogue dictatorship? He/She consulted no-one else in the School? They didn’t provide any input or feedback to the Principal? Really? So someone has been executed and now everything is dandy? Please explain.

Yes – the official response, so far, looks like the standard “bad apple” strategy.

A lifelong ban from teaching in public schools is just a ridiculous price for this principal to pay. What price has Joy Burch paid for the many mistakes she has made that resulted in damage to vulnerable children?

Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting the principal is a “bad apple”, rather that this case has been handled in an all-too-common fashion – which is to avoid, so far as possible, acknowledging broader issues and more widespread responsibility for the circumstances in question, and then pin responsibility on one, or a very small number of, individual(s) – in the hope that the public and the media will be satisfied that “something has been done” and move on.

gazket said :

Can Joy Burch ever tell the truth. She is making like nothing happened and lets quickly forget about it..

Very bad minister from a very bad government. The teacher or principle should never had to resort to something like this. Where was their support to deal with such a child.

Strangely not one out cryabout the cage from the lefty social media freaks who now run our governments.

What are the bureaucrats doing besides getting a healthy pay check to cut back public services???
It seems there is no money for anything but feel good electricity, trams and refugees, it’s a joke.

You lost me by going all political. I’m a leftie. I think Burch should resign. Now.

Can Joy Burch ever tell the truth. She is making like nothing happened and lets quickly forget about it..

Very bad minister from a very bad government. The teacher or principle should never had to resort to something like this. Where was their support to deal with such a child.

Strangely not one out cryabout the cage from the lefty social media freaks who now run our governments.

What are the bureaucrats doing besides getting a healthy pay check to cut back public services???
It seems there is no money for anything but feel good electricity, trams and refugees, it’s a joke.

tim_c said :

“the child was believed to have been physically abusive towards his teacher and other students.”

While not suggesting a cage in this case is appropriate, I’d like to know what some of the strongest voices suggest a school SHOULD do when they have someone physically abusing others in the school (yes, I’m looking at you Alexandra)? Surely you wouldn’t advocate for a moment that the school shouldn’t take steps to protect others from this student’s physical abuse – so then, what steps should they take? How can I be sure that my daughter in kindergarten is safe from the physical abuse of other students? Should the school have just built a bigger cage so the teachers and the rest of the students could shelter in it every time one uncontrollable student ran rampant?

What about the “cage-like structure” beside the Monaro Highway just north of Hume – isn’t a primary purpose of that to protect the rest of the community from people who would physically abuse others? Perhaps if a few more kids had an early taste of “gaol time”, they mightn’t be so inclined to need it later.

Isn’t there an outcry (as there should be) every time a woman is killed by her boyfriend/husband who has not been restrained despite the woman’s previous pleas? If a child is free to physically abuse others, but an adult is not, when is the time at which it becomes unacceptable, and how is this to be taught to such people?

When I was in primary school, there was one kid in particular I remember that had extreme behavioural issues. I was only in maybe year 4 or 5, so I don’t know whether he had autism or another condition but anyway he used to have violent outbursts quite frequently. He had a teachers aide/carer most of the time and she managed to get him out of the classroom nine times out of ten before things got really out of hand. There was only one or two instances that I remember when the male principal had to physically remove the child from the room.

When I was in high school, another kid had a condition (again, I can’t remember what it was) but he was prone to similar outbursts. He had a teachers aide/carer too. If he started to get worked up the teachers aide/carer could obviously spot this a mile away and would take him out of the classroom quickly for a walk so he could calm down.

I don’t think you can compare this to a prison. This is a child we’re talking about. Locking him in a cage every time he has an outburst is not going to fix anything.

“the child was believed to have been physically abusive towards his teacher and other students.”

While not suggesting a cage in this case is appropriate, I’d like to know what some of the strongest voices suggest a school SHOULD do when they have someone physically abusing others in the school (yes, I’m looking at you Alexandra)? Surely you wouldn’t advocate for a moment that the school shouldn’t take steps to protect others from this student’s physical abuse – so then, what steps should they take? How can I be sure that my daughter in kindergarten is safe from the physical abuse of other students? Should the school have just built a bigger cage so the teachers and the rest of the students could shelter in it every time one uncontrollable student ran rampant?

What about the “cage-like structure” beside the Monaro Highway just north of Hume – isn’t a primary purpose of that to protect the rest of the community from people who would physically abuse others? Perhaps if a few more kids had an early taste of “gaol time”, they mightn’t be so inclined to need it later.

Isn’t there an outcry (as there should be) every time a woman is killed by her boyfriend/husband who has not been restrained despite the woman’s previous pleas? If a child is free to physically abuse others, but an adult is not, when is the time at which it becomes unacceptable, and how is this to be taught to such people?

YZ250 said :

Ghettosmurf87 said :

london said :

I still don’t believe it was a cage.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/cage-for-autistic-child-at-canberra-school-a-shocking-wakeup-call-20150909-gjictu.html

looks quite cage like to me…

This is an absolute outrage. I am disgusted by what I read in that article. $5200 to build a cage out of pool fencing? That is highway robbery. I don’t know how the builder sleeps at night.

Ha ha, special government procurement rates. Shame. That’s our rates. We pay Minister Burch’s salary too. Shame. Please resign. The pokie sellout to the clubs and now this. Please resign.

Ghettosmurf87 said :

london said :

I still don’t believe it was a cage.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/cage-for-autistic-child-at-canberra-school-a-shocking-wakeup-call-20150909-gjictu.html

looks quite cage like to me…

This is an absolute outrage. I am disgusted by what I read in that article. $5200 to build a cage out of pool fencing? That is highway robbery. I don’t know how the builder sleeps at night.

Ghettosmurf87 said :

london said :

I still don’t believe it was a cage.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/cage-for-autistic-child-at-canberra-school-a-shocking-wakeup-call-20150909-gjictu.html

looks quite cage like to me…

Why does it have a roof? – no kid could climb over that pool fencing.

london said :

I still don’t believe it was a cage.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/cage-for-autistic-child-at-canberra-school-a-shocking-wakeup-call-20150909-gjictu.html

looks quite cage like to me…

I still don’t believe it was a cage. I have worked with children such as the one mentioned and realise what stress can be placed on staff and students. The education ministers jump in to say what makes them look good but fail to provide support for the child and teacher.When I had a diagnosed autistic child in a class I was given two hours a week support. The poor child needed help in playground but not provided. School staff have best interest of all concerned and if a child is out of control there are few options available. Seems as if child should not have been mainstreamed and parents should be held accountable for own child’s actions.

miz said :

This whole incident points to big problems and unrealistic expectations about ‘mainstreaming’ children with disabilities. it’s so much more complex than wheelchair ramps – in fact I’d go so far as to say wheelchairs are the easiest thing to manage!
Any child with incontinence or unmanageable behaviour should be somewhere else, it is wrong to expect teachers to deal with such.

Not sure about the incontinence bit, but agree that I don’t want my kids to be the collateral damage in futile experiment that inflicts out of control kids on their peers. And I still think we are entitled to know which school it was.

CaptainSpiff said :

Mysteryman said :

Finally, if the child truly feels safe in the cage, and prefers that option when needing to calm down, then who the hell cares how the cage would be perceived by others?

So true. Unfortunately in this social media driven age of instant judgment, the perception of others seems to be the only thing that matters.

What should have mattered is how the child and the parents experienced the situation. Yet, in all the hyped coverage of this event, no-one asks what they think, and whether they considered the “cage” to have been an abuse.

Instead we hear all about what Joy Burch and her directorate think.

Spot on.

This whole incident points to big problems and unrealistic expectations about ‘mainstreaming’ children with disabilities. it’s so much more complex than wheelchair ramps – in fact I’d go so far as to say wheelchairs are the easiest thing to manage!
Any child with incontinence or unmanageable behaviour should be somewhere else, it is wrong to expect teachers to deal with such.

CaptainSpiff said :

Mysteryman said :

Finally, if the child truly feels safe in the cage, and prefers that option when needing to calm down, then who the hell cares how the cage would be perceived by others?

So true. Unfortunately in this social media driven age of instant judgment, the perception of others seems to be the only thing that matters.

What should have mattered is how the child and the parents experienced the situation. Yet, in all the hyped coverage of this event, no-one asks what they think, and whether they considered the “cage” to have been an abuse.

Instead we hear all about what Joy Burch and her directorate think.

Time for the Parents and the Principal to come out, and get the truth of the matter out.

Mysteryman said :

Finally, if the child truly feels safe in the cage, and prefers that option when needing to calm down, then who the hell cares how the cage would be perceived by others?

So true. Unfortunately in this social media driven age of instant judgment, the perception of others seems to be the only thing that matters.

What should have mattered is how the child and the parents experienced the situation. Yet, in all the hyped coverage of this event, no-one asks what they think, and whether they considered the “cage” to have been an abuse.

Instead we hear all about what Joy Burch and her directorate think.

Xtra said :

My understanding from speaking with a representative from the Education Directorate is that the structure was built with the full knowledge and agreement of the teacher, parent’s and principal. The cage is the autistic child’s safe place and a calming place. The autistic child did not feel caged. The principal is the unfortunate scapegoat. I believe that the principal thought that she was acting in the child’s best interest, however, she failed to analyse how the cage would be perceived by others.

And there it is. The common sense missing from this whole debate.

I got shouted down by some idiots when I suggested there must have been a very good reason for the principal and teacher to think a cage was a good idea. Apparently I was “blaming the child” and was draconian in my way of thinking.

I couldn’t imagine a situation where putting a child in a cage was a good idea, but I don’t work with children and certainly not those that require special considerations. Equally, I couldn’t imagine a situation where both a teacher and a principal built a cage with public money and imprisoned a child in full view of the class, without believing that they were doing the right thing.

I’ll be interested to see if the people/lynch mob who claim to possess the knowledge of what’s best for a child they don’t know, continue on their high horse, or if they admit they got it wrong. I’m not holding my breath, though.

Finally, if the child truly feels safe in the cage, and prefers that option when needing to calm down, then who the hell cares how the cage would be perceived by others? These are the same “others” who have no idea of the state of the child, or what the child needs to function and thrive. To hell with what they think.

Xtra said :

My understanding from speaking with a representative from the Education Directorate is that the structure was built with the full knowledge and agreement of the teacher, parent’s and principal. The cage is the autistic child’s safe place and a calming place. The autistic child did not feel caged. The principal is the unfortunate scapegoat. I believe that the principal thought that she was acting in the child’s best interest, however, she failed to analyse how the cage would be perceived by others.

If this is true, the Minister really has to go, for her behaviour after the fact.

Nilrem said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

London to a brick there’s a lot more to this story than has made the media.

So, has the media been compromised by their symbiotic relationship with pollies, or are they simply incompetent, or both?

On every occasion where a story has been posted by local media that I have had personal knowledge of (and in my job it happens occasionally), the facts are incomplete or slanted toward a certain conclusion. Why would this be any different?

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

London to a brick there’s a lot more to this story than has made the media.

So, has the media been compromised by their symbiotic relationship with pollies, or are they simply incompetent, or both?

Alexandra Craig said :

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Not saying this ‘solution’ was even remotely right, but the argument you have just made is totally irrelevant. Quite clearly this child’s issues were at the extremities, so how many other children have been effectively ‘dealt’ matters not.

Masquara said :

What price has Joy Burch paid for the many mistakes she has made that resulted in damage to vulnerable children?

Your telling the story, what mistakes has she personally made that has resulted in damage to vulnerable children?

Ever thought that perhaps the only person being protected is the minister … Probably a school she’d visited or has a connection to!

My understanding from speaking with a representative from the Education Directorate is that the structure was built with the full knowledge and agreement of the teacher, parent’s and principal. The cage is the autistic child’s safe place and a calming place. The autistic child did not feel caged. The principal is the unfortunate scapegoat. I believe that the principal thought that she was acting in the child’s best interest, however, she failed to analyse how the cage would be perceived by others.

London to a brick there’s a lot more to this story than has made the media.

HiddenDragon said :

Nilrem said :

“The inquiry, overseen at arm’s length from Minister Joy Burch’s office, found the principal was solely responsible for the incident.

Minister Burch told my radio program she felt physically ill after learning of the “cage-like structure”. She says the decision to erect such a thing was made without input, consultation or approval from the school or the directorate.

Errr, so the Principal was running the school like some kind of rogue dictatorship? He/She consulted no-one else in the School? They didn’t provide any input or feedback to the Principal? Really? So someone has been executed and now everything is dandy? Please explain.

Yes – the official response, so far, looks like the standard “bad apple” strategy.

A lifelong ban from teaching in public schools is just a ridiculous price for this principal to pay. What price has Joy Burch paid for the many mistakes she has made that resulted in damage to vulnerable children?

Nilrem said :

“The inquiry, overseen at arm’s length from Minister Joy Burch’s office, found the principal was solely responsible for the incident.

Minister Burch told my radio program she felt physically ill after learning of the “cage-like structure”. She says the decision to erect such a thing was made without input, consultation or approval from the school or the directorate.

Errr, so the Principal was running the school like some kind of rogue dictatorship? He/She consulted no-one else in the School? They didn’t provide any input or feedback to the Principal? Really? So someone has been executed and now everything is dandy? Please explain.

Yes – the official response, so far, looks like the standard “bad apple” strategy.

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Like I said before – the only option of when some kids get out of control is to evacuate the whole class and leave the child inside to get over the state they are in – usually the class will return to many upturned desks and damaged property. This puts a massive disruption on the class as the other students get worried, anxious and worked up from the incident that it is near impossible to get any lessons done for the remainder of the day. Depending on the child, this could happen once a week – that is a lot of lost teacher to student time lost.

Yes, I can see the child being the main victim here, but what about the other students? What about the teacher?

Now I am speaking of what I don’t know – but I am going to put a few things out there.
– The ‘cage’ was not what you are thinking this cage is and was more of an enclosure. It wouldn’t have been jail like and it wouldn’t have been threatening.
– The parents of this child probably knew about this enclosure.

I’ve seen the picture – it looks like a cage to me.

From memory, early media reports suggested that the parents actually didn’t know about the cage.

Masquara said :

According to the ABC666 news just then, Joy Burch had not seen a photo of the cage. That’s appalling. 666 said they had published a photo on their website – but I haven’t been able to find it. They sent a copy of the photo to the minister, apparently despite her not wanting to view it and know what has been going on under her watch.

Yep, the Minister has emerged from her slumber and flicked the switch to “outrage”.

If the principal

Masquara said :

According to the ABC666 news just then, Joy Burch had not seen a photo of the cage. That’s appalling. 666 said they had published a photo on their website – but I haven’t been able to find it. They sent a copy of the photo to the minister, apparently despite her not wanting to view it and know what has been going on under her watch.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-09/photo-of-cage-used-to-restrain-boy-autism-at-canberra-school/6762404

murf6333 said :

. . Now saying that I know from experience that the ACT schooling system is under resourced to deal with these children . .

Ezy said :

. . It is clear that this child required something special to be put in place so as not to hurt the other students or the teacher. The big question is why did this child not have a carer . .

I don’t know but what I have read seems to emphasise the emotional outrage at the idea of ‘caging’ a child but I haven’t seen any answers to the real questions about what procedures and facilities are available when a child needs to be removed from the rest of the class. Why wasn’t there a carer and a space for the child and carer to use until the child was able to rejoin the class? Does the real problem lie not with the principal’s somewhat desperate creative but not politically correct attempts at a solution or the lack of adequate funding from higher up?

And let’s not forget the right of the other children to a safe and productive learning environment.

According to the ABC666 news just then, Joy Burch had not seen a photo of the cage. That’s appalling. 666 said they had published a photo on their website – but I haven’t been able to find it. They sent a copy of the photo to the minister, apparently despite her not wanting to view it and know what has been going on under her watch.

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Like I said before – the only option of when some kids get out of control is to evacuate the whole class and leave the child inside to get over the state they are in – usually the class will return to many upturned desks and damaged property. This puts a massive disruption on the class as the other students get worried, anxious and worked up from the incident that it is near impossible to get any lessons done for the remainder of the day. Depending on the child, this could happen once a week – that is a lot of lost teacher to student time lost.

Yes, I can see the child being the main victim here, but what about the other students? What about the teacher?

Now I am speaking of what I don’t know – but I am going to put a few things out there.
– The ‘cage’ was not what you are thinking this cage is and was more of an enclosure. It wouldn’t have been jail like and it wouldn’t have been threatening.
– The parents of this child probably knew about this enclosure.

Have we got our policy settings rights when one sick child can disrupt the whole class regularly? Should such a child be in the mainstream education system?

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

Like I said before – the only option of when some kids get out of control is to evacuate the whole class and leave the child inside to get over the state they are in – usually the class will return to many upturned desks and damaged property. This puts a massive disruption on the class as the other students get worried, anxious and worked up from the incident that it is near impossible to get any lessons done for the remainder of the day. Depending on the child, this could happen once a week – that is a lot of lost teacher to student time lost.

Yes, I can see the child being the main victim here, but what about the other students? What about the teacher?

Now I am speaking of what I don’t know – but I am going to put a few things out there.
– The ‘cage’ was not what you are thinking this cage is and was more of an enclosure. It wouldn’t have been jail like and it wouldn’t have been threatening.
– The parents of this child probably knew about this enclosure.

Ezy said :

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Even so, I still don’t think a cage is appropriate whether it’s permanent or not. Like I said, how many other children with behavioural problems have been dealt with effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty.

dukethunder said :

Watch this for context. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/louis-theroux-extreme-love-autism/ZX9254A001S00&ved=0CGMQFjAJahUKEwjJ4u6EuefHAhUELqYKHferAlA&usg=AFQjCNGRiejIAm6587ddMUfhaZWYPsiBaQ

When this surfaced, I thought there’s no way this doesn’t implicate some level of ACT government incompetence. Where do you start? Lack of training,lack of resources(see the facilities in the vid), lack of monitoring.. Appreciate this is a horrible incident but without hearing the principals side I wouldn’t move to indict just yet.

How can we move at all? We don’t know very much. The Government, with the collusion of the media, are keeping us in the dark. With no convincing justification for such behaviour. Incompetence and lack of transparency. Standard operating procedure. And I would never vote for conservatives.

Alexandra Craig said :

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

It was not a permanent spot.

Watch this for context. https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/louis-theroux-extreme-love-autism/ZX9254A001S00&ved=0CGMQFjAJahUKEwjJ4u6EuefHAhUELqYKHferAlA&usg=AFQjCNGRiejIAm6587ddMUfhaZWYPsiBaQ

When this surfaced, I thought there’s no way this doesn’t implicate some level of ACT government incompetence. Where do you start? Lack of training,lack of resources(see the facilities in the vid), lack of monitoring.. Appreciate this is a horrible incident but without hearing the principals side I wouldn’t move to indict just yet.

I have just read the city news and its summary of facts and outcomes on the CAGE LIKE STRUCTURE or cage as I like to call it. Points 9 to 11 are laughable. To say that ACT teachers and principals have access to specialist behavioural support is true, as they have recently filled positions and restructured the teams SINCE this incident. Teachers have just taken a hit in pay to ensure their are more school counsellors, so they obviously believe their is not enough support from counsellors or would not have had this put in their enterprise agreement. What most reflects the state of executive management of the education department is Diane Joseph placing more directors between herself having to accept any responsibility rather than fund support kiddies

I totally agree London,
But a cage takes planning and forethought and organising, surely something else could have been done?
There have been time that even even the autistic unit the special teacher aides had to call my wife or I to come and at least try and calm our son!
Maybe this is a parent thing, maybe the child was never formally diagnosed which means the avenues of support aren’t open.
The other children and the children’s welfare are paramount but only an animal belongs in a cage!

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

This.

It is clear that this child required something special to be put in place so as not to hurt the other students or the teacher. The big question is why did this child not have a carer?

My wife is a teacher and has had to evacuate her classroom a number of times due to children behaving in a manner that is extremely violent. This is not an uncommon problem either and now students are suffering due to the teacher having to manage these sorts of disruptive behavioural problems.

At the end of the day, there needs to be more support staff for teachers to allow them to teach the rest of the class whilst the disruptions are dealt with safely and professionally.

As a child with autism let me say that “no child, special needs or not should not be put in a cage” and I would argue any parent that would like their child locked up like a caged animal!
Now saying that I know from experience that the ACT schooling system is under resourced to deal with these children and also that some children with special needs can never cope in mainstream schooling.

Evilomlap said :

There were some kids at my school who probably *should* have been kept in cages.

Seriously, what exactly took 165 days? For the principal to be fired? Or for this to be made public?

This was truly the Colonle Kurtz of the ACT public education. But it never happened, or at least no-one else was involved…so what kind of oversight does the Directorate exercise over schools? How does a principal get to do stuff like this with no-one raising an eyebrow?

Alexandra Craig said :

Nilrem said :

Marcus Paul said :

I have chosen NOT to name the school or principal out of respect for the child’s family.

How does it respect the child’s family to not name the school or principal? It keeps the rest of the community in the dark, and I can see no benefit whatsoever to the child and his/her family to be gained from withholding that information.

If the family wanted to be known I’m sure they’d come out and make themselves known. Their privacy should be respected.

But why would releasing the details of the school or principal affect their privacy? Provided any indetifying details were removed from any material released, their privacy would still be preserved, and the citizens and parents of the ACT might find out more about a scandal that is being very incompetently covered up, with the collaboration of unquestioning journalists.

“The inquiry, overseen at arm’s length from Minister Joy Burch’s office, found the principal was solely responsible for the incident.

Minister Burch told my radio program she felt physically ill after learning of the “cage-like structure”. She says the decision to erect such a thing was made without input, consultation or approval from the school or the directorate.

Errr, so the Principal was running the school like some kind of rogue dictatorship? He/She consulted no-one else in the School? They didn’t provide any input or feedback to the Principal? Really? So someone has been executed and now everything is dandy? Please explain.

There were some kids at my school who probably *should* have been kept in cages.

Seriously, what exactly took 165 days? For the principal to be fired? Or for this to be made public?

Nilrem said :

Marcus Paul said :

I have chosen NOT to name the school or principal out of respect for the child’s family.

How does it respect the child’s family to not name the school or principal? It keeps the rest of the community in the dark, and I can see no benefit whatsoever to the child and his/her family to be gained from withholding that information.

If the family wanted to be known I’m sure they’d come out and make themselves known. Their privacy should be respected.

london said :

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

I’m not disputing that the child has behaviour that’s difficult to manage, but how many other kids, exactly like him, have been managed effectively without having to resort to a cage? Plenty, I’m sure.

And early reports suggest that it was not an area for the child to reflect and calm down, it was the child’s permanent spot as far as I’m aware.

I don’t believe any school principal would put a child in a cage. If it is an area for a child to calm down and reflect that is completely different. Why should other children and teachers be at risk from badly behaved children. Teachers are at school to educate not manage the behavour of out of control students. Parents should be called to school to do this job. If you have never experienced this type of child out of control you should not comment.

Masquara said :

Why hasn’t the principal been named?

Marcus Paul said :

I have chosen NOT to name the school or principal out of respect for the child’s family.

I noticed that the Canberra Times aren’t naming the principal either. Basically so people don’t find out who the child is. Poor kid.

Marcus Paul said :

I have chosen NOT to name the school or principal out of respect for the child’s family.

How does it respect the child’s family to not name the school or principal? It keeps the rest of the community in the dark, and I can see no benefit whatsoever to the child and his/her family to be gained from withholding that information.

I have chosen NOT to name the school or principal out of respect for the child’s family.

Why hasn’t the principal been named?