EDFD221 Kassandra Schramm S00122161

EDFD 221
Assessment Task 1: Letter
Kassandra Schramm
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you today to express my rustration in the reusa! o my chi!d "!u!
Sows enro!ment# $nortunate!y I am suspicious that the reusa! to enro!! "!u! at
%eninsu!a &rammar is due to circumstances outside o her contro!# "s you are aware
my ami!y is o "rican descent and "!u!s ather is no !onger !i'ing with us,
ortunate!y or us our ami!y is (eing supported (y the go'ernment (y pro'iding us
with housing and a sae en'ironment or my chi!dren to grow up# There is reason or
me to (e!ie'e that these actors contri(ute to "!u!s reusa! or enro!ment and or this
reason I ee! it is an opportune time to point out some )ey areas o !egis!ation that
must (e ta)en into consideration when reusing to enro!! a student#
"s an "ustra!ian schoo! you are not upho!ding the 'a!ues o the *ationa! sae schoo!
ramewor)# This ramewor) a!!ows you to o!!ow the guide!ines on ways to (e
proacti'e and ensure your schoo! is de'e!oping po!icies on the we!!(eing and saety o
our students# +ou ha'e reused to pro'ide my chi!d with a sae, supporti'e, respectu!
teaching and !earning community ,Department o Education, Emp!oyment and
-or)p!ace .e!ations, 2012/# +ou ha'e contradicted the schoo! 'a!ues that are stated
in your schoo! 'ision# +ou ha'e not gi'en my ami!y a 0air go1 thereore ha'e not
treated my ami!y air!y# I understand that the ma2ority o the students at %eninsu!a
&rammar come rom an "ustra!ian (ac)ground, (eing rom an "rican descent shou!d
not aect (eing accepted into your schoo!# Department o Education, Science and
Training# ,2003/ state in the *ationa! ramewor) or 'a!ues in "ustra!ian schoo!s that
you must 4 (e aware o others and their cu!tures, accept di'ersity within a democratic
society, (eing inc!uded and inc!uding others5 in saying this you need to not on!y
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EDFD221 Kassandra Schramm S00122161
respect others with consideration you must accept di'ersity and my chi!d has the right
to participate acti'e!y in a positi'e schoo! en'ironment no matter what heritage
(ac)ground we are#
Through your in'estigation o my chi!d you ha'e assumed that "!u! is not the right it
or your schoo!, I presume this is (ecause the testing that was done at the (eginning o
the year showed that she had !earning diicu!ties and the schoo! was not wi!!ing to
ta)e my daughter on due to this# 6om7aw ,2012/ created the Disa(i!ity
Discrimination "ct 1882 which supports "!u!s reusa! case as no schoo! shou!d not
accept a chi!d due to any !earning diicu!ties that they may ha'e# $*ES69 ,188:/
state that 4e'ery chi!d has uni;ue characteristics, interests, a(i!ities and !earning
needs5 thereore e'ery chi!d has the right to an education to gi'e them opportunities
to reach their goa!s no matter whether they ha'e a !earning need or not# Foreman
,2011/ mentions that to (e an eecti'e schoo! you need to recogise the need or
change and aci!itate it i it is needed, thereore "!u! shou!d ha'e had the opportunity
to (e apart o your schoo! community whether you ha'e or don1t ha'e that extra
teaching support to assist her in her education# "!so under 6om7aws ,2012/ .acia!
discrimination act 18<3 it shows that no matter where we !i'e or what cu!tura!
(ac)ground we are, it shou!d not in!uence the acceptance o getting into a schoo!# I
am extreme!y concerned that you might a!so (e stereotyping my ami!y due to us
!i'ing in housing commission in a !ow socio economic area# +our schoo! shou!d oer
support to my daughter and (e accommodating no matter what# The E;ua!
opportunities act 2010 4protects peop!e rom discrimination on the (asis o their
indi'idua! attri(utes in certain areas o pu(!ic !ie such as emp!oyment and education5
,=ictorian e;ua! opportunity and human rights commission 2012/, thereore under
this act "!u! shou!d (e reconsidered as you ha'e not gi'en her an e;ua! and air
chance# "!u! shou!d ha'e the opportunity and (e gi'en a air chance to show her
potentia! as a student# "s a resu!t o this I am considering to ta)e this matter urther as
you ha'e not o!!owed the !egis!ation that ha'e (een put in p!ace#
"ustra!ia is apart o the internationa! agreement $* 6on'ention on the rights o the
chi!d# $*I6EF ,2012/ has in!uenced 130 countries wor!dwide and supports a!!
chi!dren under the age o 1># This documentation ma)e teachers aware o what they
need to )now when wor)ing with chi!dren# The rights show there shou!d not (e any
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discrimination ,"rtic!e :/, that the chi!ds (est interests are a!ways priority ,"rtic!e ?/,
that chi!dren with any disa(i!ity ha'e e;ua! rights opposed to any chi!d with no
disa(i!ity ,"rtic!e 2?/, e'ery chi!d shou!d ha'e a right to an education ,"rtic!e 2>/ and
within their education they ha'e the opportunity to de'e!op their persona!ity and
ta!ents to the u!! ,"rtic!e 28/ ,6hi!drens wee), 1881/# @y ;uestion to you is how are
you supposed to )now my chi!ds potentia! when you ha'e not gi'en her the
opportunity to show youA
It is important to (e an inc!usi'e cu!tured schoo! in order or ami!ies to ee! !i)e they
(e!ong and are accepted# Ba'ing a supporti'e en'ironment that the who!e schoo!
community can adopt can ensure ami!ies to ha'e that sense o (e!onging ,Department
o education, 201?/# The =ictorian Institute o Teaching ,200>/ has produced a code
o conduct that expresses teachers need to pro'ide opportunities or a!! students to
!earn and understand that each indi'idua! student ha'e dierent !earning needs and
a(i!ities ,%rincip!e 1#1/# Teacher need to wor) in co!!a(orati'e re!ationships with
students as they do come rom 'arious cu!tura! (ac)grounds thereore the schoo! and
ami!ies need to wor) together or eecti'e communication in order or this to (eneit
the chi!ds education ,%rincip!e 1#6/# Teachers a!so need to (e aware o the !ega!
re;uirements as a teacherC this inc!udes any discrimination ,%rincip!e ?#2/# Through
the reusa! o my chi!d it shows me that you do not pro'ide opportunity or a!!
students, that you do not wor) together with the ami!ies to support ha'ing a
mu!ticu!tura! community and you do discriminate against students#
"ter re'iewing this I no !onger wish or my chi!d to (e considered in your schoo! due
to the distressing experience that we ha'e had# I want my chi!dren in a schoo! where
they ee! sae, respected and not e!t un2ust# St "!exandria %rimary Schoo! in
@ornington !ead the way with di'ersity and ha'e made my ami!y and I ee! we!come
(y open!y oering "!u! an opportunity to (!end into their community# I strong!y
suggest you o!!ow their !ead and o!!ow suit when it comes to acceptance o others
and your o(!igation to others#
I do hope that in the uture your schoo! is more considerate to ami!ies in my position
as I hope you now understand that e'ery chi!d has a right to ha'e an education#
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.egards,
K# D# Sow
References
6hi!drens wee)# ,1881/# UN Convention on the rights of the child. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#chi!drenswee)#org#auF$*G20posterG20HanG20200>#pd
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6om7aw# ,2012/# Disability discrimination act 1992. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#com!aw#go'#auFDetai!sF62012600110
6om7aw# ,2008/# Racial discrimination act 1975. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#com!aw#go'#auFDetai!sF62008600?>>
Department o Education, Emp!oyment and -or)p!ace .e!ations# ,2012/# The
National safe schools frameor!# .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFdeewr#go'#auFnationa!IsaeIschoo!sIramewor)I0
Department o Education# ,201?/# "ncl#sive school c#lt#re. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#ed#go'#n!#caFeduF)12Finc!usion#htm!
Department o Education, Science and Training# ,2003/# National frameor! for
val#es in $#stralian schools. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#'a!ueseducation#edu#auF'er'eFJresourcesFFramewor)J%DFJ'ersio
nJorJtheJwe(#pd
Foreman, %# ,Ed#/,2011/# "ncl#sion in $ction ,?rd ed#/# South @e!(ourne, =ictoriaE
6engage 7earning#
$*ES69# ,188:/# The %alamanca %tatement and &rameor! for $ction on %'ecial
Needs (d#cation. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#unesco#orgFeducationFpdFS"7"@"JE#%DF
$*I6EF# ,2012/# UN"C(&)s a''roach to ed#cation. .etrie'ed rom
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httpEFFwww#unice#org#auFDisco'erF-hatIweIdoFEducationF$*I6EFIsI
"pproachItoIEducation#aspx
=ictorian e;ua! opportunity and human rights commission# ,2012/# The e*#al and
o''ort#nies act 2+1+. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#humanrightscommission#'ic#go'#auFindex#phpFtheI!awFe;ua!I
opportunityIact
=ictorian Institute o Teaching# ,200>/# The ,ictorian teaching 'rofession code of
cond#ct. .etrie'ed rom
httpEFFwww#'it#'ic#edu#auFSite6o!!ectionDocumentsF%DFF6odeIoI6onductI
HuneI200>#pd
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