The evidence suggests that the unwritten strategy of the Victorian DET is to force autistic/neurodiverse (‘neurodiverse’) students into segregated schools, or into homeschooling.
The evidence is below.
- There is no, or insufficient, funding for schools to support neurodiverse students.
- Since the changes to the autism criteria in 2009, intended to cut out students with Levels 1 and 2 Autism, there has been no increase in that funding, other than CPI.
- There continues to be no individual funding for other neurodiverse students such as those with ADHD, ODD, learning disorders, and so on.
- The refusal to fund most neurodiverse students continues despite multiple formal, legal and nonlegal complaints against the Victorian DET every year. The DET is privy to information provided to it in those complaints which sets out the significant mental health effects of the lack of support for this group in schools, for both the students and their families.
- The absence of funding to schools directly affects the support and resources provided to neurodiverse students.
- The lack of support and resources for neurodiverse student creates issues such as behaviours of concern, absconding, depression, mental health problems and school refusal (see ‘Behaviours of Concern’ section of this website).
- The lack of support and resources for neurodiverse students, then prevents the above new issues being addressed. Therefore instead, the new issues are usually responded to through punishment such as suspension and expulsion (see “Detention, Suspension and Expulsion” section of this website) or assault and false imprisonment (see “Restrictive Practices” section of this website).*
- Whether due to depression, mental health issues, school refusal, or violence, it is to be expected that parents will only tolerate their child suffering for so long, and will withdraw them.
- The options are homeschooling, Virtual Schools Victoria (formerly Distance Education) or segregated schools for students with disabilities.
- Many neurodiverse students, due to their inability to meet the stringent individual funding criteria set down by DET, could not attend some segregated schools, even if they chose to.
- Distance Education is technically a government school, and its students do not receive any funding through the Program for Students with Disabilities, and therefore steps 1-6 apply.
- For those that meet the enrolment criteria of segregated schools, essentially there is no difference in the support and funding provided to the child. All students’ individual funding is pooled. Any occupational therapy, speech therapy or psychological assistance is usually provided through the “consultative” method, which means that any allied health practitioners working for segregated schools usually use a “train the trainer” method with teachers. It is rare to receive individual therapy in segregated schools. This is the formal DET evidence provided in affidavits to the Federal Court of Australia.
- Therefore, steps 1-6 apply. The only difference is, that it is more rare for segregated schools to use suspensions and expulsion (exceptions do apply, such as Peninsula Specialist College, Jackson School). Therefore, parents just wanting their children to be out of the house five days a week with few expectations of academic achievement, may choose segregated education. However there is a higher rate of violence used against students in segregated schools, and the buildings are traditionally more difficult to access as a parent, and therefore is more difficult to know what is happening to your child.
- The fact that steps 1-6 have been occurring for 20 years, and the Victorian DET have not changed circumstances for neurodiverse students (other than making them worse eg cutting funding to autistic students in 2009), the only conclusion is that the treatment is deliberate. Homeschooling, Virtual Schools Victoria, and teaching children in segregated schools, is cheaper than mainstream education.
- The treatment of neurodiverse students, and the consequences for them and their mental health, is a significant public health, human rights, moral and ethical issue.
- It is unlikely that this treatment will change, as the strategy has been very effective for DET, in that every year neurodiverse students are forced from the government education system. The cost is high, in all ways, however those costs are not born by DET, mostly they are borne by the NDIS, and Medicare.
* This evidence is contained in discrimination complaints lodged at VCAT and the Federal Court of Australia against the Victorian DET.