NEED TO PULL THE SOCKS UP

BULLIES are over running Gold Coast schools and teachers are powerless to do anything about it, the latest home schooling figures show.

The staggering tripling in the number of parents deciding to teach their kids themselves is proof Education Queensland has lost control of the classrooms.

The Bulletin spoke to a number of home school and distance education parents and their reasons were all the same: the bullying.

Bullying is not a new problem but with technology permeating every child’s life it’s able to go under the radar a lot more.

And there is no escape. It’s well documented how devastating that lack of escape can be on a child and can lead to severe mental illness and even suicide.

It’s easy to understand why these parents are choosing to take their children out of traditional classrooms.

They can take back control.

They can get their children out of toxic situations which could severely hurt them. They can save their life.

It is devastating that it has fallen to the parents to make these decisions.

Education Queensland has a duty to provide a safe space to educate all children.

They have not been doing this. The bullying has taken control and teachers seem to have little power to stamp it out.

Education Queensland is running antibullying campaigns but they seem to be missing the mark. It just keeps happening.

For those students forced out of the classroom, they become the ones to miss out. With home schooling or distance education there are no sports teams, no school play and no school dances.

These students can also miss out on simply being able to hang out with people their own age.

Some students thrive outside mainstream schooling. But parents should not be forced to make the decision to let their child miss out or let their child be bullied.