Boarding school students can’t get home despite national code

Two months have passed since the states and territories signed on to a national code to help boarding students get home, but it hasn’t gone smoothly.

It was two months ago that national cabinet endorsed the National Code for Boarding School Students allowing both rural students and parents a sigh of relief.

But now as exams wrap up and the school year draws to a close, and despite the code, the stress of getting boarding students across borders and home again remains.

Australian Boarding Schools Association chief executive Richard Stokes said the code hadn’t brought consistency liked they’d wanted, as states and territories were implementing varied rules and exemptions, and some none at all.

He said Western Australia and the Northern Territory had been the problem states, while South Australia’s permit system took weeks.

“That’s a real problem for kids if their parents want to see them or they’ve got some sort issues going on,” he said.

Australian Boarding Schools Association chief executive Richard Stokes. Picture: Andy Rogers

Mr Stokes also noted while Queensland had an exemption in place now, it had an expiry date.

“What’s going to happen at the end of January when school goes back? Because parents need some sort of knowledge that things are going to be OK for kids to travel again,” he said.

Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of South Australia president Jill Greenfield agreed the inconsistencies had been troublesome.

“We were very excited to get the code across the line, but it appears to be that every state and territory is taking it on in their own way and that’s where the problem has been,” she said.

“There are guidelines, many pages long, to follow but many states and territories appear to not follow those guidelines.”

Linda Andersen, from Mundulla in South Australia, has her kids boarding only about a two and a half-hour drive from home at The Hamilton and Alexandra College in Victoria.

“We sent our kids over there for an education based on them being able to come home on weekends and be a part of family life,” she said.

Ms Anderson explained it was the little things that didn’t seem to be a big deal at the time that were adding up, such as her 16-year-old daughter Sarah’s ability to get a learner’s permit.

Her son Jake, who has finished year 12 exams, is currently waiting it out to travel home until next week, when South Australia will open its borders on November 23.

“It’s living a life of unknowns and not being able to plan ahead. All of a sudden border rules change and you have to make a decision in an hour or two,” she said.

“Do you bring your kids home or do you leave them there? Do they go to another family? Do they stay in the boarding house?

“You’ve got all of these decisions you have to make and then you make a choice and you wonder, is it the right choice we’ve made for our children at the time?”