Barrier Teachers Association say they “will not tolerate” the merging of Willyama and Broken Hill high schools and are threatening industrial action if a range of concerns are not swiftly addressed.
The BTA wants Willyama either restored or rebuilt and they want action now.
“Willyama must be re-established as a stand-alone comprehensive high school,” BTA secretary Ryan Coulter told the Barrier Truth on Friday.
“Members of the Barrier Teachers Association will not tolerate the merging of both high schools into one,” Mr Coulter added.
“Given the failure of the government and its department to deliver what it has repeatedly described as an imminent report on the matter, members have demanded a response to these concerns by the end of Week 7 [March 15],” he said.
“Members of the entire Barrier Teachers Association across all Broken Hill schools will meet at the beginning of Week 8 to consider the response of the Minister and the Department. Should that response be unsatisfactory, members will consider a campaign of political, community, media and industrial action,” Mr Coulter said.
“We appreciate this is a difficult time for all members of the education community, but we believe more can be done to mitigate the negative impacts of this disaster on students and teachers”.
“Pending the results of a clear, independent and transparent assessment of the Willyama site and the subsequent timeframes for the re-establishment of the school, members have also indicated that they will not tolerate a prolonged period of co-location on the Broken Hill High School site.
“Such a period of occupation would be operationally difficult and unsustainable for both schools, and further undermine the provision of secondary education for all children in the Broken Hill community,” says a statement from the Association.
At a meeting of the Barrier Teachers Association this week, a unanimous motion was carried by all members to seek the support of the Barrier Industrial Council, which is being considered.
The BTA is demanding the state government does everything it can to ensure the quality of education for secondary and primary aged children of Broken Hill following the closure of Willyama High School.
Willyama High School didn’t reopen this year after extensive mould was found to have formed inside over the school holidays. That’s meant some 600 pupils being spread out across schools in Broken Hill.
Despite almost two months passing since the school closure no images have so far been provided of the mould, not even to Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car.
The BTA have written to Ms Car telling her they are concerned about, “a lack of genuine consultation from the Department of Education and the consequent psychosocial hazards impacting on the wellbeing of both students and teachers of Broken Hill”.
The BTA have a list of requirements, which they have sent to Ms Car and the state goverrnment.
- A clear, independent and transparent assessment of the future of the Willyama site;
- subsequent timeframes for the remediation, restoration and/or rebuilding of Willyama High School; and
- taking into account the above assessment and timeframes, a transparent, comprehensive and appropriately resourced plan to accommodate the school and provide high quality education for its students in the transition period.
