PATTERSON River Secondary College staff and students are enthusiastic about the school’s role as one of 120 schools taking part in the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria program, which preaches tolerance and acceptance of gay students.
Premier Daniel Andrews, Education Minister James Merlino, and Carrum MP Sonya Kilkenny, visited the Seaford school on Monday – a day after Mr Andrews became the first premier to lead a gay pride parade in St Kilda.
Schools will be “prouder and safer” and teachers will get the resources they need to help students “be who they are,” he told students.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe at school.”
Mr Andrews said the Safe Schools Coalition would “use the power of education to promote diversity and greater understanding in our schools and in our communities”.
The program aims to create safe and supportive classrooms for same-sex attracted and gender-diverse students at all government secondary schools. It will involve training 4000 staff to support more than 20,000 students.
“We’re putting equality back on the agenda, and this program is about working with teachers to provide a respectful and safe environment where every young person can belong,” Mr Merlino said.
Private and independent schools will also be encouraged to participate in the program, which is run by La Trobe University’s Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria.
Patterson River’s assistant principal Daniel Dew said the school – which has 1150 students – promoted itself as being “safe and supportive” of same-sex attracted students.
He said statistics relating to the incidence of assault and bullying of gay or lesbian students “were pretty horrifying” and often responsible for later incidents of self-harm and mental health issues.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
