SAFE AND SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF AN EDUCATION SYSTEM

QUESTION

Assessment Three: Safe and Secure Learning Environments

Length: 2,250 words .   the subject I study in the uni we call the law for educational  leader

Task:

In this subject you have been exposed to various legal cases, state and federal legislation and requirements, and system policies, practices and procedures that place responsibilities on education systems, institutions and schools to provide a safe and secure environment for students, staff and other stake holders. Identify three policies, (e.g. student supervision policy, excursion policy, parent involvement policy) which are part of your educational context aimed at providing this safe and secure environment. In light of the material covered in this subject, critically appraise these policies indicating their strengths and recommend areas for improvement. In this analysis support you recommendations with reference to common law principles and legislation examined during this subject, and your research and reading covered during the semester. One of the policies to be reviewed is to be your school anti-bullying policy including cyber bullying and cyber safety. Policies can be included as an attachment if this is felt necessary.

Criteria for Assessment: important

In this assignment it will be essential to:

1. Identify three policies which relate to providing a safe and secure environment for learning in an education context and show their relationship to the National Safe Schools Framework;

2. Critically appraise these policies with reference to common law cases and principles of law expounded in those cases, statute law, system policies and procudures, and readings identified in the material coverecd in this subject;

3. In relation to anti-bullying policies, critically analyse your school‟s (educationl institution‟s) understanding of bullying as outlined in your policy statement and how it aligns with current definitions of bullying;

4. Show a clear understanding of where cyber bullying fits within or aligns itself to the school‟s (eduactional institution‟s) anti-bullying policy; and,

5. Demonstrate wide reading and critical thinking.

SOLUTION

“SAFE AND SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT”

INTRODUCTION:-

The aim of school education is not just to provide theoretical education but to ensure that every child gets all-round development for enhancing his personality and career. It is a deemed responsibility of the education system to provide a safe and secure learning environment where each child can open his mind to explore new horizons of learning and find out the work that is best suited for him. The responsibility lays on the entire system, not only the school or staff members. In this report we will discuss three different policies which are identified as a boon to provide a safe and secure learning environment. These policies are developed keeping the requirement of a student in mind and subsequently made an integral part of the education system. The context of this report will be in regard to the education system the student is currently studying. The report will also discuss various strengths and areas where improvement is rated. After analysis of each policy the report will include some recommendations based on these analysis and will solely be based on common law and legislature references. One policy which would definitely be covered in this report would be the cyber bullying and cyber safety policy. The reason being it is extremely relevant in today’s context of safe and secure learning environment for the students and staff members in school. There has been a rapid increase in cyber crimes, frauds and scams. The children visit the virtual world on a regular basis these days especially on social networking sites and public forums where there is no clear rule and way to prove anybody’s identity. Here the students are in a very insecure and vulnerable platform and there are many opportunists and hackers which can take advantage of their situation. To control this kind of situation schools have taken initiatives to implement cyber bullying or cyber crime related policies where tolerance level is zero. The other two policies which are identified as right subject for the report are parents’ involvement policy and excursion policy along with the cyber bullying policy.

PARENT’S INVOLVEMENT POLICY:-

Parent’s involvement policy can be explained as a system developed by the entire educational system where parents are involved in providing education to their children. Since it is well understood that parents play an important role in educating their children after school hours, child’s primary education comes from his parents only. This policy has been made compulsory for all school districts. With the help of this policy, parents would be kept updated, involved and aware of their child’s educational status and learning habits. (Benson, D., 1999 pp.23-54)

Salient features of parent’s involvement policy:-

1. The policy will be developed in coordination with school administration, staff members and parents.
2. This policy involves all the members of ACT department of education and training, schools and pre-schools.
3. The policy will be available to all parents in simple words and logic so that parents from each strata of the social structure can comprehend it.
4. The school will ensure that it provides all the infrastructure and facilities needed to conduct the parent teacher’s meet, thereby working together and also assisting parents who have limited proficiency with English or parents who have migrated from other countries.
5. Parents play an active role in the child’s education and became a part of the advisory council and decision making committee for their child’s education related issues.
6. There will be regular meeting schedules between parents and staff members where insights and ideas will be shared and review of the program will be done.
7. A single plan of action will be developed to make improvement in the educational standard and learning habits of students and its effective implementation will be insured by constant monitoring and review by a combined committee of parents and teachers.
8. Since each school district have some different form of requirements and needs there is a clause of flexibility for each school district where minors changes can be done by the school administration in the policy to make it more appropriate for the requirements of that area. (Cairney, T.H. & Munsie, L., 1992 pp.54-98).

STRENGTHS AND AREA OF IMPROVEMENT:-

The policy is a very strong and mandatory policy which is well appreciated all over the country. Many parent’s associations and school districts should be awarded and recognized because of their excellent work in the developing this program.  Special funding is provided to all schools so that there is no lack of infrastructure and facilities in implementing this policy. The policy is also emerged very strong because of the support it has received from parents. The level of goodwill and self-esteem has risen among parents and teachers. The policy has increased the scope of a child with respect to his learning at home, his decision- making abilities and his community involvement orientation in life. Strength of this policy is that it encourages a shared learning environment where parents also feel important because of their involvement in curriculum development. The areas where more emphasis can be made include lack of good research work in this area. More studies should be promoted to find out the benefits of the policy in a better way. Another area of thrust is that since all parents are involved in this policy, there has to be a secure channel such that the influence parents are making or the education which is provided to the children is of good quality. (Constantino, S.M. ,2003 pp.87-98) There has to be a check on what is being taught to the children and determine if it is appropriate for them.

EXCRUSION POLICY:-

The excursion policy of a school is a pre-defined set of rules which is applicable to all school in all districts. These rules are to be followed during any kind of short trip or pleasure trip planned for students or staff members. This policy is mandatory so that all excursions are done in a secure environment and abide by the minimum safety guidelines and facilities necessary in case of emergencies. The policy is also a reminder to the school staff and parents about their legal and moral responsibilities against a child’s well-being.

SALIENT FEATURES OF POLICY:-

1. All excursions should be with the approval of the head of the institution only. Any excursion planned otherwise with the students and school staff will be deemed as un- authorized and dealt accordingly.
2. The date for excursion should be planned well ahead and all necessary preparations should begin 4 months in advance and finish one month before the due date.
3. The head of the institution will be the final authority who will supervise all the necessary preparation, safety equipments and procedures. At his discretion he can decide whom to include and whom not to in the excursion keeping the safety of students on top of the priority.
4. Parents should be well informed and due consent should be taken from them before involving their children in any activity involved with the exclusion activity.
5. The security personnel and supervisors of the trip should be fully aware of their responsibility and their credentials..
6. Risk assessment of an excursion trip and its full disclosure to parents and guardians is compulsory. (Catholic Primary School. (2011).

STRENGTHS AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT:-

The policy is very strong and implemented with highest priority when any excursion involving children is planned. The policy is quite exhaustive in nature and tries to cover as much ground as possible when it comes to student’s safety. The standards maintained for credentials and bona fides are also highest in policy. Written consent from all concerned people has to be made compulsory irrespective of their involvement. This would make the policy very secure and legally protective. The policy has amendments for different types of excursions such as for water excursions the requirement is more exhaustive. Even after the consent is signed and information provided, teachers, staff members and supervisors should be made morally responsible for any miss-happenings and negligence on duty. The law enforcement agencies and school staff should also keep vigilance on excursion trips planned by students in small groups as they are not covered by the school administration. Safety becomes very important and should be taken care of by the school administration and parents in this case. The school should have the right to legally ban such trips if they find them too risky or unnecessary.

CYBER BULLYING:-

Cyber bullying can be explained as the harassment of a minor on the internet by other minors or adults by usage of profane language, terrorizing, showing adult rates videos and pictures; threats for physical assaults, molestation and extortion of money. All schools in the country have a anti-cyber crime or cyber bullying policy. This kind of rules and regulations are comparatively new as cyber bullying has increased in the last few years. The laws are still in the development stage and any new case or incidence often provides new insights to the law makers to make necessary amendments. There are many school associations like CESA and AISWA that have made their own policy and regulations for the schools associated with them. (Deborah Robinson., 2008)

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE POLICY FRAME WORK

1. Bullying in any form, physical or mental is considered as an act of crime.
2. Any kind of aggressive behavior, usage of abusive language, using provocative talks and showing x rated content comes under the act of preventing cyber bullying.
3. AISWA association provides information and assistance to those who are interested in developing their own internet security policy.
4. The policy will be based on the frame work provided by the Standard Information Technology Code of Practice for Information Security Management in Australia
5. It will cover cell phones, text messaging, chatting, and emails. Social networking sites, and other associated technologies in its coverage would also be included.
6. Several user agreements will be signed by each person using internet and intranet facility from school premises or school network.

STRENGTH AND AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT:-

The law itself is very strong and have proper provisions for strong punishment if found guilty. Each law enforcement agencies have cyber cells which have members who are experts in catching these criminals and fighting back with the regular offenders in the virtual world. The government agencies and many human rights association are very pro active in this issue and schools and organizations have started following zero tolerance policy on cyber related crimes and offences. The areas which need improvement is that the law should be available to common men and should be sufficiently up dated with time as the crimes associated with cyber world are rapidly changing and have multiple ways to target victims. Each case comes up with its own unique way. (Connelly, F.M. & Clandinin, D.J. ,1999 pp.376-78)

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION:-

1. After going through all the three policies we can conclude that the laws in itself are sufficient to cover the crimes and provide us a safe and secure learning environment. The problem is associated with its strict enforcement and implementation by agencies.
2. The law has loop holes as the offenders get away due to the negligence of the people involved. I think each faculty should be given a training regarding the possible crimes and problems and how to handle these issues. The supervising authority should be proactive and vigilant to observe if anything is ignored or neglected while following the procedure.
3. Each parent should be given a hand book consisting of a brief idea about the policies and laws that cover school establishment, administration and students. They should have access to contact the right authority immediately if they detect something wrong.
4. All the students should be provided with the special classes and lectures on issues like cyber bullying and cyber crime where it can be assured to them that if they are in a problem they can contact the right person and get immediate help. A 24 hours nationwide call center should be working to help the students, parents and teachers in distress and confusion. The anonymity of the whistle blower and victim should be kept a secret so that others don’t get scared when they have to report something. (Joyce L. et.al.,1997 pp.121-143)

CONCLUSION:-

In conclusion I would like to state that even after all the laws and policies in place, mishaps happen and even after the culprit gets caught or punished it doesn’t cover the loss beard by the victim and their families. The only way to prohibit this from happening is by prevention, keeping a constant vigillence on things, staying updated on the new issues and ideas and keeping our families and friends posted about the susceptive things and behavior. These are the best ways in which crime can be controlled. The human sense of doubt and fear is the first line of defense against any probable disaster.

REFERENCES

• Benson, D. (1999). A narrative inquiry of school and parent councils: A partnership and the promise of power or “hollow words”? Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC.pp.23-54
• Cairney, T.H. & Munsie, L. (1992). Beyond tokenism: Parents as partners in literacy. Victoria,  Australia: Shortrun Books.pp.54-98
• Clandinin, D.J. & Connelly, F.M. (1986). Rhythms in teaching: The narrative study of teachers’  personal practical knowledge of classrooms. Teaching & Teacher Education, 2(4),pp. 377-387.
• Catholic Primary School. (2011). Our Lady of Good Counsel. Available: http://web.olgc.wa.edu.au/sites/olgc.wa.edu.au/files/policy/ferrinda.matthew/attachment/Camps%20&%20Excursions%20Policy_0.pdf. Last accessed 7th august 2011.
• Connelly, F.M. & Clandinin, D.J. (1999). Shaping a professional identity: Stories of educational practice. New York: Teachers College Press.pp.376-88
• Constantino, S.M. (2003). Engaging all families: Creating a positive school culture by putting  research into practice. Lanham, ML: Scarecrow Education.pp.87-98
• Deborah Robinson. (2008). Cyber bullying is a real problem in Australia.Available: http://www.australianwomenonline.com/cyber-bullying-is-a-real-problem-in-australia/. Last accessed 7th august 2011
• Joyce L. Epstein, Lucretia Coates, Karen Clark Salinas, Mavis G. Sanders, Beth S. Simon (1997) School, Family, and Community Partnerships. Your Handbook for Action by :Corwin Press pp.121-143

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