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The Forum > Article Comments > Racism in our schools > Comments

Racism in our schools : Comments

By Stephen Hagan, published 7/7/2010

Links between the Ku Klux Klan, a teacher, his pupil and a murder raise some serious questions about racism in some of our schools.

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An appalling report, Mr Hagan. Surely the Australian Federal Police, supposedly our protectors from terrorist organisations, must be used to eradicate this shocking import from the United States.
Posted by Caroline93, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 10:42:25 AM
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Thanks for this article, Stephen. I also live in the Southern Downs region and was disturbed at the report, albeit not all that surprised. It's truly appalling that scum like McNeil could have been employed in positions where they can poison young minds as he evidently did. I find it hard to believe that none of his colleagues was aware of his loathsome KKK connections, but we're both aware of the strong racist undercurrent that still persists in rural Queensland.

I hadn't made the connection between your activism and McNeil, but I suspect that you're quite correct in thinking that he, as "Imperial Kluk" (!), would have been instrumental in the hate campaign against you. However, what goes around comes around, and hopefully he has many Indigenous cellmates with whom he can discuss his odious activities over the coming years.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 11:10:51 AM
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What do they put in the water up in Queensland ?! More to the point in Toowoomba, what aren't they putting in the water, not enough of the good stuff ?

I'm all for freedom of expression, but like everything else, only up to a point: when morons make obnoxious remarks, they show themselves up and are fair game for a range of (unspecified) responses. After all, even words can be extremely hurtful (as they are meant to be) and can have very long-lasting consequences, long after the idiot who uses them has forgotten the harm he/she has done.

But when they incite hateful and hurtful action - action designed to physically maim or destroy, and to sanction the violence of others - even indirectly, like these KKK half-wits, then they go beyond 'freedom of expression'.

I guess the rule should be 'Speak of others as you would expect them to speak of you. And don't be surprised if people act towards you as you seek to act towards them.'

Good on you, Stephen.

Joe Lane
Posted by Loudmouth, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 1:01:21 PM
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A truly sad story that is something reminiscent of a typical US film script along the lines of 'Mississippi Burning' or 'Ghosts of Mississippi' - yet more amazing that this is happening in Australia.

Thankfully most Australians do not think like this and I imagine the KKK are on the counter-terrorism and law enforcement radar. However, I do understand this is little comfort for those targeted by these nutters. I note the KKK is not listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia (nor in the US for that matter) despite committing acts of terrorism ie. politically motivated violence.

Typical of any radical group is the focus on influencing young and vulnerable youth, in this case with horrific consequences.
Posted by pelican, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 3:40:39 PM
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I wonder how many KKK members are in the local police? This may prove a barrier to exterminating this loathsome US import.
I had no idea the racist red-neck element was quite as organised, accepted, and protected as the more profitable criminals groups are.
Thanks for the heads up, and good luck
Posted by Ozandy, Thursday, 8 July 2010 11:50:31 AM
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I am familiar with this story too, and note the Toowoomba newspaper ran a story attacking Koch as being 'southern media' and 'blow ins' who shouldn't have reported the KKK connection.

The Australian had a mug shot of the offender as he was at the trial that day, looking like Yosemite Sam, while the Toowoomba paper had an old and more polished one of him from their old files.

How much sympathy does the editor there have for KKK, given his snide racist remarks that Media Watch ran some months ago, and his well known month long assault on Hagan as the paper ran endless racist sms messages denigrating Hagan?

But what is not mentioned in this story, is the responsibility Geoff Wilson, the Education Queensland minister has in all this.

According to Koch's report, Education Queensland encouraged the KKK chaplain to hand out his email and mobile contact details to students so he could counsel them after school and at weekends.

No school teacher should either do that, or be put in that position by Ed Qld.

Clearly a breach of protocol, and probably a Code of Conduct issue for all concerned from the principal to Regional Director to Minister.

The question we have to ask ourselves is to what extent do school chaplains (this man was not the school chaplain, just the KKK chaplain) get similar encouragement to have private contact with school students at weekends and after school?

Who was supervising this KKK chaplain as he offered 'counselling'? Who supervises school chaplains when they do the same?

Geoff Wilson has run a mile from this, and is pretending it never happened, but read this story:
http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2010/06/23/chaplain-shares-lifes-tragedies-triumphs/

The school chaplain even admits to having students staying at his house overnight.

Now.... when simple protocols are bypassed because 'the religious man' is trusted, we can all read about the downside as priests, parsons, vicars and KKK chaplains employed by Ed Qld go 'off the rails'.

How many more 'Pittsworths' will it take for Education Queensland to come to grips with their responsibilities here?

Will Koch do a follow up?
Posted by The Blue Cross, Thursday, 8 July 2010 3:38:58 PM
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Damn straight it is a breach of the Queensland Teachers' Code of Conduct. I took a group of students overseas not that long ago, and the hoops I had to jump through to give them my mobile number to call in case of emergency were unbelievable. And that was at a time when there was genuine need - not simply 'to give a bit of support when they are feeling down'.
Posted by Otokonoko, Thursday, 8 July 2010 5:13:35 PM
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Otokonoko... so how does that Fraser Coast story sit with your experience as a teacher?

I am just appalled that Ed Qld is so 'tight' with their staff, as you described, but quite understandable in my view, but so lax as soon as 'religion' enters the fray.

According to Koch, this man in Pittsworth was known as 'Reverend' in the community, so Ed Qld must have known that too, in such a small town and school as that, such a nickname would be well known.

Ed Qld is covering this angle up, because it involves some very senior staff not doing their job, and that itself is a reflection of the 'good favour' that Ed Qld holds the imposition of Christianity into our non-secular public schools.

There is a clear breach of 'duty of care' throughout Education Queensland, and no one in the Queensland media want to look into this.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Thursday, 8 July 2010 6:06:57 PM
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To be honest, the chaplain seems like a decent enough bloke - but his place is not in a school. Perhaps at a youth drop-in centre, where relationships can be less rigid and where parents can choose to send their kids along or keep them away. Sleeping over? That's just asking for trouble!

One of my major concerns with EQ is the lack of a 'one standard for all' approach. All teachers are bound by the code of conduct, but schools have police officers, nurses, youth support workers and chaplains who operate outside those rules. While I, as a teacher, am required to report any suspected cases of abuse or illegal activity (underage drinking, underage sex, etc), these workers are not. My last employer adopted a 'see no evil, hear no evil' strategy: when we taught sex ed, we were told to discourage students from discussing their experiences so we didn't have to report them. If they had questions, comments or stories to share, we were to direct them to the other youth workers. This is a way of shirking accountability!
Posted by Otokonoko, Thursday, 8 July 2010 10:58:35 PM
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Actually, everyone in the school is bound to follow the same reporting rules these days.

This may well be 'new' I don't know, but now everyone has to report their concerns.

And that is one of the untruths from chaplains, that they are a 'safe' place to come to whereas teachers are not 'safe'.

Why the QTU fails to challenge these claims is beyond me, but they do not.

Your comment about your chaplain is not uncommon. The issue is not whether they are 'decent people' or not, but as you highlight, that there is no place in a public school for them.

The QTU, and the AEU, have totally failed to deal with this issue, further undermining their members in the schoolyard.

As have the union for teacher-aides, ALHMWU, who allow chaplains to conduct teacher-aide work without questioning it, while moaning about the lack of teacher-aides in schools.

Funny how the ALP and trade unions will hound Nuttall for all he's worth, but fail to expect Ed Qld to operate honestly.
Posted by The Blue Cross, Friday, 9 July 2010 9:54:43 AM
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You wrote this article but have no idea of the first line...we live in an age in western European countries (you'd be right with your assessment for non-western countries) where we actually do still have bigotry obscuring truth, BUT....it comes in the form now of minority vested interests.

Highly racist, and only out for their own kind, those switched on can see how bigoted and tribal non-western cultures are, including indigenous Australians.

Extremely tribal. Over 500 tribes in Australia before white man came.

Point is, in this western country indigenous people are not discriminated against anymore. Well, there is positive discrimination but I hear no complaints about that.

Honestly, grow up. You hit the jackpot by getting the British as opposed to even the Spanish, and would no longer even be hear if say the Japanese came (likely eaten as a delicacy).

You want racism, go to Redfern train station and count how many times you hear the words 'white c' when indigenous Australians are knocked back for the $2 they ask for, while standing there in designer Adidas tracksuits and very expensive looking tattoos.
Posted by Benjam1n, Saturday, 17 July 2010 9:30:27 AM
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