Policies and Procedures

Child safety and wellbeing at Bairnsdale Secondary College

Bairnsdale Secondary College is committed to providing an environment where students are safe and feel safe. We have a zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to protecting children from harm.

Our comprehensive child safety framework outlines our school’s strategies to support student safety and wellbeing. The framework includes the following policies, codes and procedures:

Our students and their families are important partners in keeping our students safe. We value feedback and ideas on how we can continuously strengthen our child safety framework.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact the College Principal on 5150 4800.

Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy

Racism is not tolerated in Bairnsdale Secondary College

Bairnsdale Secondary College is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment where racism is not tolerated. Racism harms students’ mental health, learning and sense of belonging. We celebrate the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and faiths of all our students. It is up to all of us at Bairnsdale Secondary College to make our school a place that is free of racism and where everyone feels respected and can learn in a safe and inclusive environment.

What Bairnsdale Secondary College is doing to prevent racism

Bairnsdale Secondary College follows the Department of Education’s Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools Policy. We are building a culturally safe school with inclusive learning for everyone by working with staff, students, families, carers and communities. We will:

provide programs that teach about and celebrate diversity, inclusion and the impact of racism to build understanding and empathy
use practices that support all students to thrive
implement anti-racism efforts to prevent and address racism effectively
make sure everyone feels safe, with clear and accessible pathways to report racism.

What to do if your child experiences or witnesses racism at school

If your child experiences or witnesses racism or religious discrimination at school, please let us know. You can contact us on 5150 4800 or report the incident via Stymie.

Report Racism hotline

If you don’t feel comfortable reporting racism to school, or you are not happy with the school’s response, you can report racism to:

the Department of Education’s Report Racism hotline via email [email protected] or phone 1800 722 476 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI) via email [email protected] or phone 03 9481 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) online, via email [email protected] or phone 1300 292 153 (Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm).

For additional support following an incident of racism:

First Nations students, staff or families can contact Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI)

Jewish students, staff or families can contact the Jewish Community Council of Victoria
Muslim students, staff or families can contact the Islamic Council of Victoria

For more information about how to report racism to the school, and to get information in community languages, visit this website: Report racism or religious discrimination in schools.

If you need an interpreter to call the school, please use the details available at: Guide for Families: How to use an interpreter to contact your school.

How Bairnsdale Secondary College will respond to racism

When you report a racist incident, Bairnsdale Secondary College will:

take your report seriously and act quickly
provide you with ongoing support
investigate and respond safely and appropriately
keep you informed, while respecting privacy
review the incident to help avoid it from happening again.

Additional Bairnsdale Secondary College policies.

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