Working with your School Community
Building Respectful and Safe Schools is a resource for school communities providing renewed guidance to promote and support safe and respectful learning environments. This encompasses a broad definition of the school environment including digital learning spaces, communication using digital technologies, and situations when students are outside the classroom, such as travelling to and from school and in the playground.
The internet, digital technologies and social media tools present learning spaces that are present both inside and outside of the school’s physical environment. Spaces such as the Ultranet, a school Intranet, some blogs and wikis, etc will be available to students in their homes, inside and outside of school hours.
Parents and/or carers also have an important role in helping their children use these technologies safely and responsibly. Schools therefore have a responsibility to inform parents and/or carers of any learning spaces that they make available to students as well as the expected behaviours and protocols surrounding their use.
The Effective Schools are Engaging Schools: Student Engagement Policy Guidelines resource is a supporting document to the Building Respectful and Safe Schools. It states that all Victorian government schools must have a Student Engagement Policy in place that includes specific strategies to promote positive student behaviour, build a safe and inclusive environment, prevent bullying and anti-social behaviour and encourage respect, compassion and cooperation.
A school’s Student Engagement Policy should make reference to school/classroom based Acceptable Use Agreements and programs or activities that address safe and responsible online behaviours and the related consequences for the misuse of internet, digital technologies and social media tools.
Schools should play a part in helping parents support their children in the digital world. Schools can give parents useful information about existing and emerging technologies by encouraging them to be involved in the development and review of policies, inviting them to information sessions or distributing handouts on school expectations of acceptable use.
Schools could consider the following questions:
- Do parents contribute to the formation and review of policies?
- Does the school send updates to parents regarding technology use in school?
- Does the school provide advice and support on using technology in the home?
- Has the school provided advice to parents around the expectations within Acceptable Use Agreement for parents' reference at home?
Schools can empower their students to form Student Action Teams and promote awareness of cybersafe behaviours and practices in their school community. Many schools are using Student Action Teams to provide a student centred and active educational approach to connecting the school community and developing a shared understanding and commitment to cybersafety.
There are also many groups within the school community with which schools may form partnerships to further support safe, responsible and ethical online behaviour. These groups include Victoria Police, local libraries and local councils.
For more information, see: