22 May 2017
The NSW Department of Education and Communities rejects all forms of racism and is committed to the elimination of racial discrimination.
Miss Bowen is currently undergoing ARCO (Anti-Racism Contact Officer) training via online modules, video conferences and phone call interviews. This training requires ten hours or more of self-paced study over a six-week duration as well as two 1.5-hour VC group sessions with a trained tutor.
The role of the ARCO is to assist any member of the school community who wishes to bring a complaint of racism. The ARCO may assist in putting the complaint into writing and explaining to the complainant their rights and responsibilities in relation to the procedures contained in the Responding to Suggestions, Complaints and Allegations policy. The key role is to respond professionally as a mediator to any suggestions or complaints regarding racism at school and to contribute together with other members of the staff to promote anti-racism education.
We would like to promote the DET website link that has translations (more than 35 languages) of many relevant educational PDF documents. The link allows you to choose your language then browse documents in that language:
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/languagesupport/language/index.php
The following websites provide useful information in relation to anti-racism strategies: www.racismnoway.com.au
www.multiculturalaustralia.edu.au
I extend a reminder to all that if at any time you find that you have a concern about the school,
you are encouraged to come to the school and tell someone so that your concern can be
resolved. It is our aim to work with all of our school community to ensure that we do the very
best we can to ensure a productive, safe and enjoyable experience for our students. Should you
feel that you must raise a concern formally, the NSW Department of Education has procedures
for ensuring that complaints are handled fairly. Information about how to lodge a complaint
is available from the school office. Further information is also available in the Department's
Complaints Handling Guidelines which you can find on the Department's website at: http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/detresources/about-us/how-we-operate/how-we-handle-complaints/printabledocs/printguidelines.pdf