Two senior boys at a public school in Melbourne’s south-east have been expelled because of misogynistic behaviour and threats directed at female staff.
The year 12 boys were expelled from Sandringham College last month after consistently disrespecting and refusing to follow directions given by female staff, a source with knowledge of the incident but not authorised to speak publicly said.
The students told female staff they had received unfair treatment because they were boys, according to sources at the college.
The Education Department was contacted for comment on the expulsions and asked if there had been an increase in gendered violence and intimidation or if it tracked the number of complaints.
It did not respond to those questions.
“Respect for our hardworking teachers is non-negotiable – any threatening behaviour is unacceptable and every report is taken seriously,” a department spokesperson said.
There are “clearly defined grounds for suspensions or expulsions”, according to the department, which includes posing a danger to other students or staff, causing significant damage to property or continually interfering with the education of others.
In an online message shared to the school community, seen by The Age, principal Amy Porter said the behaviour would not be tolerated at the public school.
While not addressing the expulsions directly, she said there had been “multiple incidents” of concern over a week that were “clearly not in line with our school values”.
“Some year 12 male students have been disrespecting women and girls at our school through commentary, intimidation, written slurs and behaviours,” the message, published last week, read.
“This will not be tolerated, and students who persist with this behaviour will be banned from celebration day and graduation.”
The principal acknowledged the majority of students at the school were “wonderful human beings”, and thanked families and carers for their work.
“I thank our great parents/carers for the work you do in a complex time, where so much influence is coming from outside the home.”
Sandringham College is split across two campus sites, with years 7 to 8 at Bluff Road in Sandringham and senior students at Holloway Road.
The school has 1079 students from years 7 to 12, with a split of 55 per cent boys and 45 per cent girls, according to figures published by MySchool.
Data on socioeconomic advantage, based on parental income and education, shows that 43 per cent of its students fall into the top quarter – the Australian average for that category is 25 per cent.
A survey conducted by Monash University and commissioned by the Australian Education Union found nearly 80 per cent of teachers surveyed saw or experienced gendered violence.
One in three teachers of the more than 2600 union members quizzed nationally said they had considered leaving the profession because of the behaviour.
Lead author Dr Stephanie Wescott said educators were skilled workers facing an increasingly hostile environment.
“For many teachers, schools have become unbearably hostile places to work, with levels of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment that have made their jobs untenable.”
In one example cited in the study, a female teacher with a decade of experience told academics when students verbally and physically assaulted female staff it was just considered “misbehaving”.
“In addition to these, sadly common, traumatising experiences, we are facing a daily struggle against pervasive misogynistic ideas in our classrooms and out in the yard, undermining our ability to effectively teach and eroding our self-worth,” the woman, who was anonymised, said.
The Age reported on Tuesday that there had been more than 2600 reports of “concerning incidents” of a sexual nature between students at Victorian state schools between January 2023 and August last year.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare announced on Sunday that the department would review the existing consent and respectful relationships program in schools to see if they needed to be strengthened.
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