BULLYING issues reported to Yanchep District High School have been dealt with, acting principal Ian Johnston says.
Responding to criticism of the school on social media, Mr Johnston, who joined the school in April, has backed his staff and students.
He said academic performance in recent years had improved greatly and recent hype suggesting a culture of bad behaviour and bullying was “totally unfair”.
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READ NOWWhile acknowledging there was a handful of students who behaved poorly from time to time, he said the vast majority were lively, engaging and positive young people.
“This is a good school with a few students whose behaviour can be challenging from time to time, and in that respect is no different to any other I’ve worked in,” he said.
“I reject any suggestion that we accept and ignore bullying – any reports that are brought to our attention are investigated and addressed, with consequences for those found to have misbehaved.
“Most of the situations in my time at the school that have been brought to my attention have been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, including the parents.
“While bullying is not always a straightforward matter, I want every parent to know we treat any evidence of bullying very seriously.
“It’s very complicated, bullying, and is very widespread in our community – it’s something that our community as a whole needs to address.
“A lot of the recent criticism has been hurtful to staff and students, who are proud of this school and deserve better than to be tarnished by rumour and innuendo.
“It has an impact on the morale of staff that’s more noticeable to me than anything else because they try to work hard.”
Mr Johnston said he was impressed with the attitude and behaviour of students and the commitment of staff in providing challenging and interesting programs.
He said the school’s NAPLAN results had improved steadily in recent years and a number of strong programs were in place to reinforce positive behaviour
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