- Sexual behaviour increasing in schools
- By Michael Owen
- The Herald Sun
- 14/10/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
EDUCATION chiefs are "significantly concerned" about the rising "inappropriate sexual behaviour" of primary school students in Adelaide.
Their concerns come as SA Police figures obtained by The Advertiser reveal there were 42 sexual assault offences reported in schools last financial year.
The offences include rape, attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault.
During the past four years, there have been 204 such offences. Last financial year, there were 15 sexual assault offences during "core" school hours on Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 4pm and a total of 78 during those hours since 2004-05.
The worst offending school was located in a country area, internal Education Department documents show.
Department chief executive Chris Robinson released six pages of incident reports from the school for 2006, 2007 and 2008, detailing an array of shocking behaviour by its students, ranging from verbal to physical sexual abuse.
Among the incidents listed are several cases of boys exposing themselves in class, pushing girls to the ground and simulating sex, pulling down other students' pants and underwear, and violent sexual language and threats to teachers and students.
In one case, a student "brought a plastic penis to school and sexually harassed another student".
The school's principal declined to comment. But Mr Robinson said the incidents "are of significant concern".
He said the department was concerned about such incidents in all schools, it treated each case seriously and was "continuing to work with SA Police to ensure that these offences continue to decrease".
Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith said data revealed a "very serious" trend, with today's students increasingly exposed to inappropriate forms of media.
"The issue at primary schools is significant, because those behavioural issues might raise matters of child protection," she said.
Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni said there was clearly a "huge breakdown" between Families and Communities and the Education departments.
"The co-operation and communication between the departments is chaotic," he said.
Dr Lomax-Smith said inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature between students tended to occur more frequently in disadvantaged schools.
Their concerns come as SA Police figures obtained by The Advertiser reveal there were 42 sexual assault offences reported in schools last financial year.
The offences include rape, attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault.
During the past four years, there have been 204 such offences. Last financial year, there were 15 sexual assault offences during "core" school hours on Monday to Friday between 8.30am to 4pm and a total of 78 during those hours since 2004-05.
The worst offending school was located in a country area, internal Education Department documents show.
Department chief executive Chris Robinson released six pages of incident reports from the school for 2006, 2007 and 2008, detailing an array of shocking behaviour by its students, ranging from verbal to physical sexual abuse.
Among the incidents listed are several cases of boys exposing themselves in class, pushing girls to the ground and simulating sex, pulling down other students' pants and underwear, and violent sexual language and threats to teachers and students.
In one case, a student "brought a plastic penis to school and sexually harassed another student".
The school's principal declined to comment. But Mr Robinson said the incidents "are of significant concern".
He said the department was concerned about such incidents in all schools, it treated each case seriously and was "continuing to work with SA Police to ensure that these offences continue to decrease".
Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith said data revealed a "very serious" trend, with today's students increasingly exposed to inappropriate forms of media.
"The issue at primary schools is significant, because those behavioural issues might raise matters of child protection," she said.
Opposition education spokesman David Pisoni said there was clearly a "huge breakdown" between Families and Communities and the Education departments.
"The co-operation and communication between the departments is chaotic," he said.
Dr Lomax-Smith said inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature between students tended to occur more frequently in disadvantaged schools.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24493501-662,00.html
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