Lennox Head Public School upgrade stopped over Indigenous artefacts
A school upgrade site that was stopped due to the discovery of Aboriginal artefacts has been abandoned at Lennox Head as education bosses look for a new place to build a bigger facility.
Lismore
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A project to upgrade Lennox Head Public School has been abandoned after Indigenous artefacts and their cultural significance were brought to light. have been discovered.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the school would expand at a new site instead.
According to a statement released from her office, awareness of the school site’s cultural significance had been increasing since the discovery of artefacts and their connection to the site.
Ms Mitchell said it had become evident that pursuing an upgrade on the current site was not possible, nor was it in the best long-term interest of the Lennox Head community and students.
“We will secure a new site better suited for a brand new purpose-built school while preserving and respecting local Aboriginal culture and history,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The NSW Government will now fast-track plans to identify other options that will meet the educational needs of students across the region in the long term.
She said the decision had been made after extensive discussions with stakeholders and project leaders and she thanked community members for their patience.
Lennox Head Public School was supposed to be upgraded by 2018, but the project was delayed after the discovery of almost 600 Aboriginal artefacts.
The statement from Ms Mitchell’s office says the Department of Education will work with the school leadership and the broader community on the new project to develop measures to ensure that the school needs are met in the shorter term, whilst the longer term needs are being developed and formalised.
It says collaboration will continue with key stakeholders in the Aboriginal community to undertake additional archaeological investigations and report the findings to Heritage NSW.
The school upgrade is part of the NSW Government $7.9 billion upgrade of NSW schools.
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