NSW border closure: Rural children living in Victoria blocked from school
Parents, principals and politicians have slammed NSW for denying travel exemptions to Prep-Year 10 students who live outside the border zone in Victoria.
HUNDREDS of regional Victorian families are in crisis mode, with their children blocked from attending schools across the NSW border from Monday.
Parents feel they have been ignored by policymakers, while principals at NSW border schools have slammed the “outrageous” decision to deny travel exemptions to Prep-Year 10 children who live outside the border zone.
RURAL STUDENTS OVERLOOKED
In Albury-Wodonga, 70 students will be blocked from attending school at Trinity Anglican College from Monday.
Students, teachers, staff and their families involved from Prep to Year 10 and who live outside, or are at a school outside, the border zone have not been granted an exemption to cross the NSW border to attend school or work.
Those inside the zone can use resident crossing permits. The ban impacts NSW and Victorian families.
Kiewa Valley couple Natalie and Geoff Reid have children who attend Trinity Anglican College in Years 3, 5 and 8.
Ms Reid said yesterday’s news that Eva, Sam and Bella would have to learn remotely from now on while their classmates received face-to-face teaching was “pretty frustrating”.
“The decision seems pretty arbitrary,” she said, “even though they have been going to school for the last two weeks and we are in a Stage 3 restriction area, so they are not going anywhere but to school.
Mr Reid added: “We are in North East regional Victoria where there has not been a case that we have heard of.”
The couple counts themselves lucky because they can both work from home and support their children with remote learning, but said other local families and children would be at a huge disadvantage due to the decision.
“I think more local consultation is needed,” Ms Reid said. “This feels like there have been decisions made without really understanding how the local community works and the impact that this border closure has had on a lot of people.”
Trinity Anglican College principal Justin Beckett is outraged by the “roadblock”, which he said “leaves regional kids stranded”.
“We have students who are already isolated. The kids who are missing out are farm kids and kids who live in small towns who are already isolated,” he said.
“They are being made further isolated by a decision that prohibits them attending their normal day school.
“This is happening in a region where there are virtually no COVID cases, yet today in Parramatta and in Liverpool students can attend school face-to-face.
“Those students can enjoy the connections and good mental health that goes with being able to attend their daily schools, yet regional students in part of Australia where there are no active cases are being road-blocked.
“It is completely unacceptable and needs immediate revision.
“It defies logic and is infuriating. I think it is an appalling story.”
Benambra MP Bill Tilley labelled the overnight release of education border-crossing permits as cruel and hypocritical.
He said in addition to the hundreds of students and teachers affected, several primary schools would be left without a principal.
“This completely ignores the plight of so many students, teachers and families on both sides of the river,” he said.
“It also ignores the fact that COVID cases are falling in Melbourne.
“These are the families of essential workers, vulnerable children, others with learning difficulties that could and should be at school.”
ESSENTIAL WORKERS IGNORED
“The situation is absolutely a crisis,” said mother-of-two Kelley Toohill, whose children attend Moama Anglican Grammar School.
Ms Toohill works an acute care nurse in a hospital near her family’s home in Kyabram, while her husband is second in charge of a mine site in Victoria.
The couple’s children are in Year 7 and 9, and normally cross the border daily to attend school.
“We are away from home for 12-15 hours each day,” Ms Toohill said. “We have long shifts and anywhere you live in regional Victoria, you travel to work. Our children will basically have to be left unsupervised.
“The school has been fantastic in advocating for students. But there are 120 students forced to move to online learning, and only 10 teachers available to teach these children across a broad range of year levels.
“If my children were enrolled in a Victorian school, I would legally be allowed to send my children to school for supervision. We are legitimately being discriminated against.”
The family considered moving to temporary accommodation in Moama so their children could continue attending campus, but found the option unmanageable with rent no less than $850 a week.
Ms Toohill said the fact children with learning and special needs were not being considered for exemptions was particularly distressing for many families.
Moama Anglican Grammar principal Carmel Spry on Thursday night received exemption permits for Year 11 and 12 students and HSC teachers, less than 24 hours before the day-school permit expiry date.
She said exemptions had not been granted to the school’s 118 Prep to Year 10 students who live outside the border zone in Victoria.
“We are hoping with the National Cabinet meeting today (Friday) that we might see some change there,” Ms Spry said.
“We have a couple of families talking about moving to be on this side of the river so their children can keep coming to school.
“We are talking about splitting families.”
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