Darwin High School teachers slam department for opening cyclone-hit school
Darwin High School teachers have condemned education officials for reopening their "unsafe" and "inoperable" school saying brown water flowed from taps and no airconditioning. Read what they said.
Teachers at Darwin High School have slammed the Education Department for opening a school they said was “unsafe” and “inoperable” just days after it was struck by Tropical Cyclone Fina.
In an email sent to Department of Education chief executive Susan Bowden, seen by the NT News, the teachers questioned why the school was open on Monday.
They said there were various leaks and the airconditioning was not working in parts of the school, including where staff worked.
“The water coming out of the taps is still brown,” the email read, adding that staff had to wear masks in some areas because the stench of the water was “so bad”.
The teachers also expressed frustration with the DOE’s lack of communication to staff and students.
“Staff, students, and families were told multiple times that the school was CLOSED,” they said.
“This information was communicated between about 5pm – 7.30pm and many staff, students and families made plans to not be at school.
“The communication that the school was open came later in the evening at about 8pm.”
The teachers said it was not expected for staff or students to be accessing emails during this time, so many would have woke to the news and been in a “frantic scramble” to get to school.
“Many staff, students and families did not have access to power, wi-fi/internet data, or phone reception to receive this information,” they said.
“There was no communication directly from the Department of Education to staff, students, or families during this time to give clear information on what was happening with school openings or closures.
The teachers said they were “blindsided” by the decision that classes would run as normal.
“There were approximately 40-60 students at Darwin High School today – yet all staff were (if they could) expected to be present at school,” they said.
“There was no internet connection for the entirety of the day.
“This meant that any work done by students was cursory and much of the work that is regularly done by staff was essentially defunct.
“Many staff have commented to me that they thought we were being used as ‘babysitters’ and not being treated as the professionals we are.
In a statement to the NT News, DOE chief executive Bowden said she acknowledged the challenges brought by Cyclone Fina and the impact on students and staff.
“The cyclone and its aftermath have tested us all,” she said.
She said that schools provided a “critical service” to the community and “as such we seek to re-open schools as quickly as possible”.
“For the students that attended Darwin High School yesterday, the school was able to provide a safe, airconditioned, familiar and supervised environment where they could connect with their peers and teachers,” she said.
“The value of this service is critical to our community and has supported our community and essential service workers to continue their extraordinary recovery efforts.”
She added: “I acknowledge that the timing of the decision was difficult. It was triggered by the restoration of power at the school early evening on Sunday.”
“I absolutely appreciate that Darwin High School experienced damage, and I know that the Principal was onsite Sunday during the day and in the evening and was joined Monday morning by the Senior Director Darwin Region, to ensure that there were sufficient safe locations in the school to be able to operate for the reduced number of students that attended.”
“Understanding the impact of Cyclone Fina, I reminded staff that they can access counselling support through our Employee Assistance Program, and there are leave arrangements that staff can access.
“I appreciate the passion and commitment of Darwin High School staff. All staff feedback following this event will be used as part of the post incident review.”
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Originally published as Darwin High School teachers slam department for opening cyclone-hit school
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