It's time to get involved!
Here's some projects to get you started.
Western Australian families have had enough! There's been questions asked in Legislative Council with an appalling response, denying, gaslighting, dismissing human rights commitments and defending ABA/behaviourism in education. The neglect and discrimination is palpable. Education Minister, Sue Ellery failed to show up to a pre-booked appointment with parent advocates, Symone Wheatley-Hey, Jonelle Fraser and Dr Sarah Bernard, exposing her dismissal and arrogant disregard and disrespect for Western Australian families.
Enough is enough. It's time to protest! Square Peg Round Whole has partnered with Accountability for Children in Education (ACE) to coordinate a peaceful protest. On 24th November back packs with tags attached, telling the stories of neglect, discriminatory exclusion, segregation, abuse, restraint and isolation in Western Australian Schools.
Please get involved today! You can provide a tag for a backpack and you don't need to be in Western Australia to do so. As you can see, there's celebrity experts from all over the world who support us! You can also email us directly with any questions or suggestions.
Lou and a small group of South Australian parents recently wrote to new South Australian Minister, Blair Boyer. Sadly Blair has chosen to dismiss the urgency of education reforms in South Australia. Parents need to come forward to strengthen the advocacy efforts in South Australia. If you are a South Australian parent reading this notice, please get in touch with Lou to find out how we can work together to insist that the South Australian government reform the education system!
Minister Alan Tudge delivered a speech on 22nd October and Square Pegs feel horrified! The speech focuses on Minister Tudge's priorities for students returning to face to face learning following COVID pandemic lockdowns across Eastern Australia and it has many problems and red flags for the Square Peg community:
- The expectation that students will be expected to acquire impulse control and self-discipline without reference to neurodivergent students, is ableist and divisive.
- Statements such as "violence has become commonplace" is untrue and inflammatory.
- Criticism towards the NSW Behaviour Strategy and South Australian Inquiry in to Exclusions flies in the face of inclusive practices that are welcomed attempts at education reform.
In summary, Minister Tudge shows an absolute disregard for students with disabilities, the daily challenges they face in Australian schools and their legal and human rights receive reasonable adjustments that allow them access to the curriculum on the same basis as their peers. It is extremely concerning and requires our response!
Please find the Square Peg Round Whole press release here for your information as well as Minister Tudge's speech.
What do we need from you?
Lou is preparing an information package to send to Minister Tudge. There will be books, research papers, newspaper articles and parent testimonials and stories that will be de-identified but added to the package. The more testimonials that Lou can collect, the better! Please write a short paragraph about your experiences with education in Australia. Please just provide your state and the age and disability for your child/children. Lou will collate all of the parent testimonials and they will be included in the package for Minister Tudge.
For the last 2-3 years, Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia have worked in a consultative capacity with the NSW Department of Education, Behaviour Strategy team. For the first time in 11 years, the Department of Education will release new Discipline and Suspension policies that underpin a new strategy in relation to Behaviour management in NSW public schools. It's long overdue reform and is intended to reduce suspensions of students with disabilities and provide teachers with professional development.
Due to the COVID pandemic, release of the new policies and implementation of the strategy has been delayed. PAAA advocate for appropriate consideration of the over representation of students with ADHD and other disabilities in the suspension data, especially in light of prolonged home based learning and the associated mental health challenges when students return to face to face learning in term 4 of 2021.
