Tips for parents charged with protecting their child’s school from scandal: Lawyer Joanna Andrew

The latest reports of disturbing and violent incidents at Adelaide schools has prompted a warning to school councils from a top legal adviser.

As school heads back, the call-out for volunteers to sit on the governing school council ramps up. Picture: iStock

New reports of disturbing and violent incidents at Adelaide schools serve as a reminder of the weight of responsibility well-meaning parents on school governing councils face, a top legal adviser says.

Corporate governance lawyer Joanna Andrew says while volunteering to serve on a school council can be rewarding and a path towards a corporate board career it takes “more than a few sessions in the canteen”.

The Mellor Olsson partner said this week’s reports of two alleged school attacks – one involving a fight between students at Golden Grove High School and the other related to vision of a parent threatening a child at St Paul’s College – highlighted some of the complexities and challenges school bodies must grapple with in 2025.

Adelaide-based corporate governance lawyer and Mellor Olsson partner Joanna Andrew is urging parents to do their “due diligence” before stepping forward to be part of the school board. Picture: Supplied

“The importance of child protection – and awareness of child protection, children’s rights and creating a better culture for kids – is becoming more evident,” she said.

“School councils need to be well versed on police checks and volunteer inductions … the governing council is ultimately responsible for ensuring a school has the right processes and policies in place to ensure children are protected.

“If it fails to do this, it opens the door to litigation and exposes the school to certain compensation claims.”

Ms Andrew said board members needed to also be across work health safety, financial reporting and insurance, ensuring relevant internal and external policies and procedures were in place.

“You might think (being part of a school’s governing council) seems simple and easy enough … but governance is the act or process of overseeing an organisation to ensure accountability and compliance,” she said.

“Well-meaning parents join the governing council to be able to better the school environment for their child but don’t necessarily undertake their due diligence in terms of risk exposure.

“It is really important to be clear on the financial state of the school, know what its entities are and who is managing what and to be clear of what you are responsible for … you need to be on top of before you agree to be on a school council; there is a potential for you to be personally liable.

“Always ask questions, raise issues and voice concerns; if something doesn’t look or feel right it probably isn’t.

“(I’ve had clients) who have resigned from their position of school council because of the nature of the issues that they are facing and dealing with at the time, whether it is insolvency, rogue council members, question marks over teachers’ conduct and the like.”

Originally published as Tips for parents charged with protecting their child’s school from scandal: Lawyer Joanna Andrew