Secondary School News

From the Deputy Principal Pastoral Care, Nick Jones

Intimate Images Law and Cyber Safety

You may have seen recent news regarding a young man who has become the first person charged in Western Australia under the new Intimate Images legislation. The 24 year old man was charged with posting intimate images of his ex-girlfriend on social media.

In his recent presentations to students, staff and parents at John Wollaston, Cyber Safety expert Paul Litherland referred to this case specifically. While Paul does not endorse children being charged with a criminal offence, he does agree that the new laws give much better protection for victims of this type of online abuse. I encourage parents and caregivers to regularly discuss all aspects of cyber safety and digital responsibility with your children. With regards to the new laws, some important things to remember include:

• It is a crime to distribute an intimate image without the consent of the person in the image. An 'intimate image' can include:
•     - An image of the person naked, partially naked, or in their underwear.
•     - An image of a person engaged in a private act, such as using the toilet, showering or bathing.
• It is also a crime to threaten to distribute an intimate image.
• It is an offence to take, keep, send, or ask for an intimate image of a person who is under the age of 18 – including an image of yourself.

More information regarding Western Australia’s new Intimate Image Laws can be found at the following link: https://department.justice.wa.gov.au/I/intimate-images-law.aspx

Positive parenting means maintaining open and honest lines of communication with your children. I always advise parents that they should take an active interest in what their children are doing online. I believe parents have the right to sit down with their children and look at all their activities and communications online. If your children are reluctant to show you what they have been doing online, this should be a sign that closer supervision of online activities may be required.

The Federal Government’s e-safety website is a fantastic resource for students and parents. I encourage you to regularly visit: https://www.esafety.gov.au/.

Student Reminders

At our Secondary Assembly this week, I congratulated our students on the many things they do well. However, I also needed to remind them of some important standards that need to be maintained during the school day. These included;

• Girls skirts must always sit on top of the knee.
• Mobile phones need to be switched off and not used at any time during the school day.
• Lockers must always be locked. Food and drink are not to be left in lockers overnight.
• All students need to arrive to school by 8:25am each day. If students arrive to school after 8:30am, they need to sign in at Student Services.

I again thank parents and caregivers for your support in ensuring our high standards at John Wollaston are maintained.

All the best.

Nick Jones

Deputy Principal Pastoral Care