Call for Mt Scopus principal to resign after damning report | Herald-Sun

Ex students allege bullying and have complained about attitudes to sexuality, discrimination

June 1, 2023
Suzan Delibasic, Susie O’Brien

FORMER MOUNT SCOPUS STUDENTS HAVE CALLED ON THE SCHOOL’S PRINCIPAL RABBI JAMES KENNARD TO RESIGN IMMEDIATELY AFTER AN EXPLOSIVE REPORT INTO THE HANDLING OF CHILD SAFETY COMPLAINTS.

Former Mount Scopus students have called on the school’s principal Rabbi James Kennard to resign immediately in the wake of a damning report into the school’s handling of child safety complaints.

More than seven former students detailing serious allegations of bullying, complaints about attitudes to sexuality and academic discrimination have spoken to the Herald Sun.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed the full findings of the Child Wise review into the culture at the school earlier this week. The report revealed a “lack of appropriate response by leaders to serious complaints and allegations” regarding child safety over several years.

The school said Rabbi Kennard will remain in place to implement the report’s 49 recommendations, a process which is well underway.

Sources close to the school’s board say community feeling is against Rabbi Kennard remaining in his position until February, calling on him to resign immediately.

A former student, 22, who graduated from the school in 2019, said the school took no action after he was “continuously” bullied for several years by a group of students.

“I reported it to my teachers and they didn’t take the bullying seriously,” he said.

“They made me feel like I was the one who had done something wrong for coming forward,” he said.

The former student also alleged that school leaders tried to convince some students not to undertake VCE to protect the school’s overall ATAR.

“There were some students who were struggling academically and they were aggressively told not to undertake VCE, which was wrong as they should’ve helped students with their studies.”

The former student also called on the school’s principal to resign in the wake of the Child Wise report.

“The school’s culture is something that needs to change immediately and it starts from the top, the best thing for the school is a new principal.”

Another former student, 18, who attended the school since kinder, said some teachers “purposefully” misgendered students. “If a student’s pronoun was they/them, they would not use their pronouns and instead discriminate against them by making hurtful comments,” the former student said.

“The school needs to become accepting and change from the toxic environment it currently has.”

The Herald Sun has also seen letters written to Rabbi Kennard and the Mount Scopus board expressing concern over the school’s treatment of same-sex attracted students dating as far back as 2013.

One letter written by a former student of the college objected to the Rabbi’s comparison of homosexuality with a Shabbat violation. Former students also objected to Rabbi Kennard’s signatory of a statement of principles that states that same-sex interactions are prohibited and that same-sex orientation “may greatly increase the risk of suicide among teenagers in our community”.

Despite this, the statement also says same-sex attracted individuals should be treated with dignity and respect.

Commenting on these claims behalf of the board of Mount Scopus, president Amy Hershan said: “Child safety is the school’s highest priority. All children and young people, regardless of their age, gender, ability, race, or sexual orientation, have the right to be safe and feel valued.

“The Board has tasked Rabbi James Kennard with overseeing the full implementation of all 49 of the recommendations of the Child Wise assessment including around complaints mechanisms, bullying, culture and inclusion, governance, student wellbeing and trust.

“The implementation of the recommendations is well advanced and is expected to be completed by the end of this year,” Ms Hershan said.

“We are taking a whole-of-school community approach to creating an environment that celebrates diversity. We are striving to involve students, staff and families through a wide range of initiatives including education, teacher training, and increasing student agency.

“Pleasingly, the feedback we are getting from current students about the changes we are implementing is positive. However we recognise that we still have more to do, and that work to create a culture in which every child can thrive will be ongoing,” she said. “An external search for Rabbi Kennard’s successor is well underway. It is the Board’s vision that new leadership will build on the school’s commitment to excellence as we strive to be a Modern Orthodox Jewish school that is safe and inclusive for all.” Ms Hershan also responded to the allegations of academic discrimination.

“The school is very proud of the fact we are not a select entry school. We work with every student to reach their potential,” she said.

“We take very seriously the balance between academic outcomes and student wellbeing. Our student services department works with many students and their families on individual learning plans and pathways. In some isolated cases, a student and their family may conclude that doing an unscored VCE is in the best long term interests of the child and the school unequivocally supports those decisions.”

Report Reveals School Failures | Sunday Herald-Sun

STUDENTS SAY IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT MOUNT SCOPUS IT WOULD BE….

“Get better security so the bullies who bullied me will get caught”

“Prioritise student wellbeing above academic excellence”

“The lack of punishment for bullies and racist or sexist jokes”

“Plz made more rights for lgbtq ppl (people) at Mount Scopus”

“Male Hebrew teachers – they are creepy …”

“Toxic, competitive culture”

“Implement a compulsory consent and respect program”
Source: Child Wise report 2022

REPORT REVEALS SCHOOL FAILURES

May 28, 2023 | Sunday Herald Sun

Susie O’Brien
Suzan Delibasic

EXCLUSIVE A leading Melbourne private school ignored red flags about a senior staff member who engaged popular girls in “highly sexualised communication”, a secret report has revealed.

Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the full findings of the damning review into the culture at Mount Scopus Memorial College.

The report reveals a “lack of appropriate response by leaders to serious complaints and allegations” regarding child safety over several years.

Staff who raised child-safe concerns faced “retribution” as the school “acted to address the wellbeing and reputation of the accused staff members, over the wellbeing of students making allegations,” it states.

Students and past students reporting abuse were offered meetings “with the male principal only, meetings were held with doors closed, no formal detailed record of meetings were made”, the report states.

Girls were also asked if they wanted to “confess” anything in relation to a staff member who groomed them.

The report also details homophobia towards LGBTIQ+ students, favouritism towards top-performing students, peer-to-peer bullying and teachers talking in “degrading” terms about students.

The report by Child Wise was commissioned in February 2022 following the sacking of the long-serving director of studies Jared Alford amid findings of serious sexual misconduct.

The report states Mr Alford “groomed an entire school community, including staff and leadership … and worked his way into positions of trust and authority in the school”.

“Concurrently observations were made about inappropriate contact with certain ‘favoured’ students, including highly sexualised communication,” it states.

Mr Alford was facing allegations of misconduct from at least 10 women when he left the Burwood college in late November 2021.

The report said Mr Alford used the informal Jewish Life program to “expose children to harm and ongoing risk”, particularly “high achievers” and “popular girls”.

The school’s treatment of complainants was slammed in the report for being “not trauma-informed and not aligned with best practices”. Rather than tell the school community about the allegations, the school breached child safety practices by telling students Mr Alford was ill and “should be written to with well wishes”.

Mr Alford was also “invited to an end-of-year gathering and a farewell speech was given … where his contribution was celebrated” in a further breach of good practice.

Last year, Rabbi Kennard released the review’s 49 recommendations for strengthening child safety at the school. He committed to implementing them, but he did not release the full report.

A former Mount Scopus student who graduated in 2021 told the Sunday Herald Sun the findings in the report illustrated the school’s “toxic” culture. “It’s obvious why they wanted to keep this damning report a secret,” he said. “I’m still traumatised by my experience at the school, I was bullied constantly. When I made the complaint to my school leaders, they told me to basically ‘toughen up’.”

Another former student, who offered support to women making reports to the school about Mr Alford, said: “I also agree with the findings in the Child Wise report because for years the faculty has not been properly trained to deal with issues such as sexual misconduct.”

Voice Against Child Sexual Abuse director Phillip Weinberg said the Child Wise report was consistent with the accounts of Mt Scopus victims and survivors who bravely shared their experiences with his organisation.

Rabbi Kennard will retire at the end of 2023. He was contacted for comment.

JCCV not seeking law change | AJN

FAITH-BASED SCHOOL STAFF

JCCV not seeking law change

‘The JCCV is comfortable with the present legislative settings. In particular, we understand that the larger Victorian Jewish day schools have not expressed a desire to exercise this power or a need for it.’

By PETER KOHN
October 27, 2022, 10:24 am

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy in 2017. Photo: Peter Haskin

THE Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) stated this week that it is satisfied with the provisions of the Equal Opportunity Act (EOA) that prohibit discrimination in hiring and firing practices of schools.

The roof body was responding to reports that Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has committed a Coalition government to amending the EOA to allow faith-based schools to discriminate in selecting teaching staff who share the school’s values and beliefs.

Guy’s commitment to the change surfaced last week after he reportedly raised it during a meeting with the Islamic Council of Victoria, according to The Guardian Australia.

Contacted by The AJN, a Liberal Party spokesperson responded, “The Liberals will protect religious freedoms to allow Jewish schools to employ people who are aligned with their values. An individual’s sexuality, gender and ethnicity would also be equally protected from discrimination under these laws. Any proposed changes would only occur after broad consultation and would need to protect every Victorian from discrimination.”

Apart from some latitude in hiring religious education teachers, Victorian schools have not been allowed to discriminate when hiring teaching staff since June, after changes to the EOA which prohibit staff selection made on sexual, gender identity or marital status.

Contacted by The AJN this week, JCCV president Daniel Aghion stated, “The JCCV is comfortable with the present legislative settings. In particular, we understand that the larger Victorian Jewish day schools have not expressed a desire to exercise this power or a need for it.”

Approached for comment, Mount Scopus Memorial College principal Rabbi James Kennard told The AJN, “Mount Scopus does not mandate, and never would mandate, that teachers’ and students’ lifestyles reflect the school’s religious values. Therefore this proposed change would not affect our school.”

Bialik College principal Jeremy Stowe-Lindner reiterated his firm opposition to any form of discrimination in schools, which he had stated in his submission to the 2018 Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into legislative exemptions for faith-based schools.

Independent candidate for Hawthorn Melissa Lowe stated, “Victorians have repeatedly shown that they don’t support discrimination based on gender or sexuality.”

Meanwhile, the Coalition stated it would provide an additional $3.3 million over the next four years to the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria to enable it to better serve multicultural communities, as well as a further one-off $100,000, should its application for charitable status be successful.

Jewish schools react to proposed law | AJN

LEGISLATION TO PROTECT LGBTQI+ TEACHERS

Jewish schools react to proposed law

By CARLY DOUGLAS
December 2, 2021, 1:00 pm

PROPOSED legislation that would prohibit religious schools in Victoria from firing or refusing to hire teachers based on gender and sexual identity has been met with a mixed reaction from within the Jewish community.

The Andrews’ government bill, introduced to Parliament in October, seeks to protect LGBTQI+ Victorians’ right to work in faith-based schools.

Last month, a group of religious leaders from varying faiths sent an open letter to Victoria’s Attorney-General, Jaclyn Symes, opposing the legislation, stating that it “unfairly targets religious bodies and educational institutes”.

Among the signatories was Rabbi Shimon Cowen from the Institute for Judaism and Civilisation. He told The AJN that the legislation is “an incredible invasion of religious life,” accusing the state government of attempting to “edit Judaism”.

He called politicians who support it “hypocrites,” noting that parliamentarians are allowed to discriminate based on political views and activity when it comes to the staffing of their office.

But most Jewish schools were generally more supportive.

Bialik College principal Jeremy Stowe-Lindner, who proudly recalled that his was the first school in Australia to sign up to the Marriage Equality campaign, told The AJN, “We are all created equally and I strongly encourage the law to support this, and prevent discrimination.”

Without it, he reflected, “Future generations would look at us with the same incredulity that we hold when we consider those who opposed the emancipation of slaves, universal suffrage or civil rights.”

The King David School principal Marc Light concurred, stating, “We oppose any legislation that discriminates against people based on their gender or sexual identity.”

He added, “It is important that LGBTQI+ students get the message that they are not alienated, excluded or rejected on the basis of their identity.”

Helen Greenberg, principal at Sholem Aleichem College, said, “We strongly embrace any changes that allow Victorians to continue to be free to live and work free from discrimination.”

Leibler Yavneh College principal Cherylyn Skewes agreed, noting, “Our view is clear. No staff member should be subject to discrimination or termination on the basis of their sexual identity.”

Noting that the legalisation would remove the right of schools to sack a staff member because of their sexuality, Mount Scopus Memorial College principal Rabbi James Kennard said, “Since that would never happen at Mount Scopus, the bill is not especially relevant to our school.”

Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum of Yeshivah–Beth Rivkah Colleges had some reservations about the bill. He said that “while people’s private lives are not a factor in their hiring, a school was not generally an appropriate place for staff to discuss or flaunt their sexual behaviour, whether heterosexual or homosexual.”

He also pointed out that while “the aims of the legislation to prevent discrimination were laudable, there was some concern that activists could potentially misuse the legislation by challenging the curriculum, or even the teaching of certain sections of the Torah”.

But not everyone is on board. A member of another Orthodox school community told The AJN that if the bill were to pass, it “could be a problem” because they would not have the “flexibility they would need regarding LGBTQI+ staff teaching their students”.

On a federal level, after a 2018 pledge by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the PM recently introduced his Religious Discrimination Bill to the floor. The legislation – if passed – will offer protection for faith-based schools, institutions, hospitals and aged-care facilities that wish to prioritise applicants of their faith. While it will be several months before the Senate votes on the bill, the legislation could override the Victorian Government’s anti-discrimination bill.

The elephant in the room: sex education in our Jewish schools | +61J

The elephant in the room: sex education in our Jewish schools

Mount Scopus calls for removal of legislation allowing exclusion of students and staff on basis of sexuality

Mount Scopus Memorial College calls for the removal of discrimination against staff and students on the basis of sexual orientation.

Mount Scopus Memorial College

Aleph Melbourne warmly welcomes Mount Scopus Memorial College’s submission to the inquiry into legislative exemptions that allow faith-based educational institutions to discriminate against students, teachers and staff.

Submissions to the inquiry are open until November 26 2018

See our table of responses from Jewish schools across Australia.

20181118-Mount-Scopus-Memorial-College-Submission-40

The hypocrisy within the Jewish community of calling for a “respectful” debate (or silence) on Marriage Equality

On Monday September 4 2017 the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) issued a statement advising citizens to vote No in the upcoming federal government postal survey on marriage equality. A backlash to this statement ensued, with no less than Rabbi Daniel Rabin, President of the council that issued the statement, and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry distancing themselves from the aforementioned statement.

On Wednesday the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) issued a statement calling for “a respectful debate in the lead up to the same sex marriage survey”.

Also on Wednesday Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, Senior Rabbi of the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation and President of the Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand, issued a statement explaining his rationale for participating in a position of silence on the postal survey.

On Thursday Rabbi Daniel Mirvis, Senior Rabbi of the Mizrachi Centre, issued a statement saying of the upcoming postal survey: “I plan on remaining silent on the matter”.

On Friday Rabbi James Kennard, Principal of Mount Scopus Memorial College issued a statement urging “all who choose not to remain silent to ensure that all comments, on all sides, are made with respect, sensitivity and understanding”.

By calling for a “respectful debate” the underlying message being sent is that debate must be respectful over whether the Marriage Act should continue to exclude same-sex and other non-heterosexual couples. Ultimately this amounts to insisting on a polite conversation on the merit of legalised discrimination.

Engaging in silence on a matter of discrimination amounts to tacit endorsement of the status quo.

But what if the topic of conversation were not Marriage Equality, but instead the banning of non-medical circumcision, the banning of religious slaughter of animals, government support for BDS, or the removal of religious and racial protections?

Would it still be acceptable to have a debate, or maintain silence, on any of these topics, respecting the underlying premise of each issue?

Would Jewish community leaders stand around and silently tolerate the wider community respectfully debating the merits of these topics, with a laissez-faire approach to the conversations?

Probably not.

Yet it’s acceptable for some senior Jewish Community leaders to insist on tolerating a “respectful debate” or maintaining a silence over whether the government can continue to enshrine discrimination in the law against a marginalised and highly vulnerable minority group for no good reason.

And this isn’t double standards? Where is the respect in that?

Rabbi James Kennard calls for respect when commenting on same-sex marriage survey

I will not be making any comment on the Same-Sex Marriage survey, or on the various public statements that have come from members of the community, since it is not my role, as a Rabbi, or a Principal or even a humble citizen to tell any other person how to vote.

I would urge all who choose not to remain silent to ensure that all comments, on all sides, are made with respect, sensitivity and understanding.

Media Release: Aleph Melbourne welcomes Mount Scopus Inclusivity Statement

ALEPH MELBOURNE
MEDIA RELEASE
JULY 22 2016

Aleph Melbourne welcomes the “Inclusivity Statement”^[1] issued to parents by Mount Scopus Memorial College on June 20 2016.

This statement is the first public acknowledgement by the school for the need to offer specific support to same-sex attracted and gender diverse students, as well as students from rainbow families.

Whilst the school has not yet adopted a comprehensive program such as that offered by the Safe Schools Coalition Australia^[2] (SSCA), this is an important first step, as it offers a foundation for the school to build on.

Increasingly, the Australian school landscape is understanding that the era of marginalising same-sex attracted, intersex, and gender diverse students is over and is seeking better ways to include and value the diversity of these students.

Strong leadership has already been demonstrated in the Victorian Jewish school community, with The King David School, Sholem Aleichem College and Bialik College being long-standing members of SSCA.

As Mount Scopus finds its feet in supporting their previously neglected students, it will discover a fantastic surge in performance from those students it enables to be authentic to themselves. The more support these students receive, whether at school, at home or in the community, the more they will thrive.

Aleph Melbourne looks forward to further initiatives from Mount Scopus Memorial College that actively demonstrate support for their LGBTIQ students and wishes the school a hearty congratulations for taking this first brave step.

Media contact: Michael Barnett – 0417-595-541

[1] http://aleph.org.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_07_20_-_Mount_Scopus_Inclusivity_Statement_Letter.pdf[2] http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org.au

Mount Scopus continues to ignore the needs of its LGBTQ students

Posted on Facebook by Daniel Baker on August 20, 2013 and reproduced with permission:

Mount Scopus continues to ignore the needs of its LGBTQ students. Here is my most recent letter to the Principal and the head of the Board:

Dear Rabbi Kennard and Ms Kennett,

Thank you for your email dated August 12.

I must say that I am disappointed with your response. My emails dated 24 June and 25 July were responses to and questions on Rabbi Kennard’s letter dated 18 February, and it seems disingenuous to suggest that that letter could somehow provide the answers to the very comments and questions it raised. I have explained in a number of emails why Rabbi Kennard’s response was insufficient and, in some cases, erroneous – for instance, in its comparison of homosexuality to Shabbat violation. The school’s refusal to respond to these concerns raises serious questions about its commitment to equality and student well-being.

Additionally, and beyond the immediate issue of same-sex attracted students, I must say that your response raises concerns about the way the School treats concerned stake-holders. When I began calling on Mount Scopus to join the SSCV, and when my campaign was gaining significant public attention, Rabbi Kennard urged me to keep this matter private. He promised a constructive and meaningful dialogue in the interests of protecting the safety and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer students. While I appreciated his letter dated 18 February, I do not think that a single letter followed by continued refusals to engage further constitutes real dialogue. To the contrary, it seems to reflect a lack of good faith on the part of the Principal.

As I have acknowledged on numerous occasions, it is of course the prerogative of the Principal and the Board to determine the school’s direction. What I seek is not an immediate policy change along the lines I have suggested, but a considered response to the 5 key points I raised in my email of 25 July. Those points are directly raised by Rabbi Kennard’s letter of 18 February, and the School’s claim to care about its same-sex attracted students cannot be taken seriously until they have been addressed.

I note that according to your email the correspondence between me and Rabbi Kennard was addressed at a recent meeting of the Board. Are you willing to make the notes of this meeting available to the public?

I look forward to your response.