DEPUTY PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

St Mary MacKillop College is a wonderful school and we are people who give reverence to the relationships formed in our community. This means we actively seek to hold an attitude of openness, understanding and welcome to others. Our relationships should be based in equality, trust and inclusion. Unfortunately there are some instances where members of our community act in a way that is contrary to our vision. Parents and students may be aware that last weekend a Snapchat account was set up that provided a forum for comments about our students that were offensive, derogatory, inaccurate and harmful. This was a challenging situation for us as a school and although this clearly goes against our values, it was something that was undertaken by students outside school time, using their own phones and their own personal Snapchat accounts. Whilst the immediate response may be to call for the school to respond and fix the situation we also need to be mindful of the line between school and home. Our response to this situation was to make parents aware of what was happening, thereby hopefully prompting conversations between parents and children about responsible and ethical use of social media. It was an opportunity for discussion about the impact of such actions of individuals and on our community. I know that many parents will have taken this opportunity.

One of the very reassuring things to come out of such an awful situation was the number of students who identified that this account was inappropriate, hurtful and nasty. I appreciate all the students who made contact with me and the parents who did the same. I immediately reported this to Snapchat and they were able to remove the account quite quickly. Our school response also included making contact with the police. We are aware that there is speculation about who started it, but this remains unsubstantiated. There were also clearly a number of other people who contributed to this account; again, their identity cannot be ascertained. This fact may sit uneasily with many, as our natural expectation is to hold someone to account. Unfortunately the sheer nature of social media allows for anonymity and it is this that no doubt allows individuals to feel emboldened to make such offensive comments.

Along with this relatively isolated Snapchat incident we have had reports of students using racist language at school. Racism will not be tolerated at St Mary MacKillop College. Disappointingly,  we have heard some excuses from students who have used racist language, attempting to justify that it is ' just the way we talk' and 'we don't mean to offend anyone.’ Racism is offensive, it is as plain as that. As a school we continue to challenge students about respecting every person for who they are. If students are experiencing racism I encourage them to report this to their Homeroom Teacher or their House Leader. If students are observing racism, no matter how ‘small’ they consider it to be, I urge them to stand up against it, ideally by calling it out in the moment or by at least reporting it to a teacher because racism is never small. Discrimination, exclusion, racism, gossip and slander have no place in our school. We are a community that should do, and can do, better than that. Our Mission articulates who we need to be each day: people who affirm the dignity of every person, who act with respect and compassion, who reverence relationships and who have hearts for generosity and forgiveness.