DET's stance on racism

A letter issued by the DET to families regarding the topic of racism in schools.

Dear parents and carers,

At John Fawkner College we value the diversity of culture, ethnicity, and faith of all of our students. We are proud of our diversity, and everyone is welcome at our college.

Celebrating the diversity of our community makes us stronger, kinder and more creative. We are committed to making sure that students from all backgrounds feel accepted and supported and able to learn.

To achieve our values and aims, everyone at John Fawkner College plays an important role.

John Fawkner College has become aware of a number of incidents where students have exchanged derogatory comments because of their culture, ethnicity or faith.

To help us stop this behaviour, and make John Fawkner College a place where everyone feels welcome, respected and supported,  we are writing to ask for your support.

John Fawkner College asks that you support your child/ren to:

• Understand that we celebrate diversity and multicultural inclusion.
• Understand the importance of everyone at school being treated with respect.
• Understand that John Fawkner College takes racism very seriously.
• Understand that students will be supported by the school if they experience or see their classmates experience this racism.

If you or your child/ren have experienced racism or other unfair treatment, John Fawkner College is here to help. Talk to your coordinator, the wellbeing team, or the principal team. They can help you understand the school policies and make a complaint. 

If you don’t feel comfortable reporting the incident to school, you can report it to the Report Racism hotline. The Report Racism hotline is run by the Department of Education. It is available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) on 1800 722 476 or via email at report.racism@education.vic.gov.au.

Thank you for your help and support.