Students at a private girls school write letter to express concern about mental health protocols
Students at a private girls school where three students have suicided have penned an open letter labelling the in-house counselling “ineffective and tokenistic”.
NSW
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Students at a Sydney girls’ school where three kids suicided have revolted against in-house counselling they describe as “ineffective and often tokenistic”.
In an extraordinary swipe at administrators from the north shore institution, 17 students in Year 9 and a number of anonymous pupils penned an open letter complaining of the school’s poor response to student distress.
The letter was sent to the school’s principal and was also freely distributed among students on campus in October last year — just three months after a Year 11 student suicided in July.
Two other senior students — including 18-year-old Claudia Neale — suicided in July and August this year.
But the principal’s response over two separate emails said the students were on a “learning journey” and were being guided as “they learn important skills of negotiation and how to appropriately advocate for themselves and for their peers.”
The students’ letter said: “Girls who expressed discomfort about certain teachers had no choice but to continue being in their classes. The school has set a precedent for itself as being an environment that is both apathetic and non-caring — not only does this prevent girls from reaching out for support but it also worsens underlying issues of mental health in circumstances where the school fails to provide adequate support,” the students said.
“Students suspected of identifying as LGBTQIA+ are often estranged and subject to vicious bullying and rumours concerning their sexual orientation.”
The students also made reference to heartbreaking individual cases of self-harm and suicidal ideation, while others talked of the system feeling “so rushed and you are constantly ‘chased out’ and pushed away from support”.
The students complained of the closure of LGBTQIA+ safe spaces and confidentiality breaches.
“From our experience as a student body, many times, office staff and teachers in higher positions of power have invalidated experiences of certain students, refusing to help the students as they do not exhibit extreme behaviour or are not diagnosed with depression or anxiety,” the letter said.
The October 28 response from the school principal was swift.
“During this year group meeting I reiterated our support for student voice and explained that sometimes in advocating for an outcome the process can lead to unintended negative consequences,” she said.
A second email from the principal dated November 4 said: “Our girls are on a learning journey regarding how to ensure their positive intent has an equally positive impact.”
“We will continue to support our girls as they learn important skills of negotiation and how to appropriately advocate for themselves and for their peers.”
Despite the public response that the principal had sent to the school community last year, a spokeswoman for the school claimed that the student letter was “in response to a call for student input into a review of wellbeing support”.
“It was well received, as student voice is highly valued, and where possible all suggestions have been incorporated into our program,” the spokeswoman said.
An Independent Schools Association spokesman said that the association did not discuss individual schools’ concerns — only the sector.
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