Parents call for Eynesbury Primary School principal and leadership team to be sacked

Angry families are demanding Eynesbury Primary School’s leadership team be axed amid allegations of violence and mistreatment of kids with disabilities.

Eynesbury Primary School has been at the centre of numerous controversies over the past month.

Families at a school in Melbourne’s west are calling for the school’s principal and leadership team to be sacked amid serious allegations of students being “violently attacked” by other pupils and claims of ongoing mistreatment involving children with disabilities.

The Saturday Herald Sun can reveal almost 10 students from Eynesbury Primary School have been taken out by their parents amid concerns about violence between pupils, repeated lockdowns and year three and four students allegedly sending graphic images to each other.

Parents say they have been left “distressed” and “destitute” due to limited public school options in the area.

It comes after parents raised serious concerns about the handling of an incident during which a student sexually touched another child multiple times in the past month.

Eynesbury Primary School has been accused of ongoing mistreatment involving children with disabilities.

One father, whose child is in year one, said the incident of sexual nature has continued to spark “serious concerns” within the school community.

He said his daughter’s class had “continually” been evacuated from the school and placed into lockdowns.

“All the students in her class and an adjoining class (have been evacuated) due to the violent outbursts and attacks from another grade one child in the other class,” he said.

“The sexual assault that has gone on without consequences for the perpetrating student, the violence from students towards other students and teachers, parents are at their wits’ end.

“Many parents, myself included, are actively seeking alternative schooling options for our kids to get away from this toxic environment, however other schools are unwilling to accept them as they’re out of zone.

“Eynesbury Primary is the only public school in our zone. We are left trying to come up with tens of thousands of dollars for a potential relocation to a private school.”

A Department of Education spokeswoman said: “We are fully aware of the complaints raised by families and former staff members and have been working closely with the families involved to support their children’s learning”.

But another mother said the leadership team needed an “overhaul”.

She says her six-year-old son living with a disability was “violently attacked” by another student and bullied constantly last year.

“The school did not handle my concerns properly,” she said.

“I’m now forced to look for another school but we have limited options in the area. The principal and leadership team are not taking our complaints as parents seriously.

“Parents feel distressed and destitute and the Department Education needs to step in.”

Another parent called for the school’s leadership team to be “sacked”.

“They’re not providing a safe environment for the kids,” the mother said.

“They’re allowing this behaviour to happen where kids are crammed into a small isolation room and stare at white plasterboard all day.”

Another family, whose child continued to be suspended before they left the school, said the school could not deal with their son’s behavioural issues.

“Our concerns fell on deaf ears,” the mother said.

One parent has also alleged that students in grade three and four are sending inappropriate content to each other and tips on how to access graphic websites.