The facts and figures about public school suspensions make sobering reading (“‘Teachers don’t feel safe’: crisis in schools”, September 8). The article said that 4.3 per cent of students were suspended last year, which is approximately 1 in 24 students. This year, with the granting of more powers to school principals, it seems the numbers have doubled. Suspending students should always be seen as treating the symptom and not the cause of the problem.
It is naive to assume that giving aggressive or seriously misbehaving students a few days’ or weeks’ holiday from studies will automatically fix the problem. What is needed are thoughtfully considered school programs that teach respect for others, engagement in the joy of learning and increased access to counselling services. Of course, suspensions also occur in Catholic and private schools but public schools in particular have suffered from an increasing lack of resources and funding. Parents, too, must play their part and be encouraged to do so. Let’s fix it now. Robert Hickey, Green Point
School violence is on the rise.Credit: SMH
I found it shocking to read about the violence in schools. I had no idea things were so bad. If students and teachers don’t feel safe to teach and to learn it is not just a disaster for them, but for all of society. Gary Barnes, Mosman
I read the Sun-Herald report on violence in schools perpetrated by students the same weekend there was a disgusting on-field brawl at the Swans vs Giants match and a television news report of parents brawling at a teenage girls’ sporting fixture. What we are talking about here are role models – very bad ones. And they have a lot of influence on young people. My observation is that violence is increasingly seen as an appropriate response to conflict. It seems to be a worldwide problem, from the conflict in Gaza to our own school yards. Garry Feeney, Kingsgrove
Brand deception
I’m no genius, but what I understood from the lengthy analysis of own-label marketing is that if, for example, you charge only $5 for a product, people think it’s low quality and avoid it, but if you charge $10 for the same product, people will think it’s better quality and be prepared to pay for it (“Inside the great own-label rebrand”, September 8). Call it clever marketing if you like, but sounds like misleading and deceptive conduct to me. Ross Duncan, Potts Point
School obesity
We all know that the obesity “crisis” in children is caused by factors that no government has had the courage to properly address (“School nurses to weigh, identify kids at risk of obesity in contentious plan”, September 8). Long hours of screen time, social media issues, junk food advertising, school canteens able to sell highly processed food, sedentary lifestyles and stressed parents. To suggest this school nurse screening program as the latest panacea would arguably do more harm than good to children by its specific focus. Let’s start on the huge multinational food companies that happily feed our kids junk food at a huge profit. This horse has well and truly bolted and a carrot and stick approach won’t get it back. Judy Finch, Taree
Here we go again. The proposal for school nurses to weigh students to discourage obesity is ludicrous. After fifty years service in the public education system I have never encountered a school nurse in any school where I worked. Are they seriously suggesting that nurses should be withdrawn from hospitals and relocated to schools? What has happened to parental responsibility for the dietary habits and healthy living of their children? Sadly, we are becoming a nation where adults are all too willing to pass good parenting on to teachers and schools. David Findlay, North Kellyville
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