Parents may be called upon to keep class budgets afloat

According to information and documents received from Carenne Special School whistleblowers, a number of classes have used their budget for the year and now parents may be called upon to keep key school programs such as cooking afloat.

According to the information, Michael Auld, Peter Richards, Laurie Healey, Nadine Dwyer and Ros Luther have exhausted their class budget for this year, with another three months to go in the school year. According to an email between Helen Windsor, Carenne's new administrator and Neil Moon leaked to Carenne Gate last week several classes are close to or have exceeded their budget and parents may need to contribute money towards independent living schools programs for those classes if the programs are to continue until the end of the year.

According to one Carenne Saviour, a conversation took place between Mr Moon and Mrs Windsor last week where she told him that she was concerned about the amount of money Michael Auld had been putting down for work experience activities associated with the Riding for the Disabled Association.

Hatho told Carenne Gate that the problems were associated with Mrs Windsor not being creative enough -

"This write your class name on every receipt is rubbish, when Simone was SAM, if one class' budget was exceeded she would just allocate that to a class which wasn't and which had fewer costs, that way important programs can continue, she is just not being creative enough."

The comment by hatho indicates that under Mrs Russell's administration, much of the school's funding was being diverted away from where it should have been going. Instead of allowing teachers who routinely go over their budget to siphon funds from elsewhere they should be more careful of the public's money.

A saviour told Carenne Gate that Kelly Thompson had one of the best systems for classroom funds. "Kelly actually had the class deliver newspapers as part of both their PE and to receive money for classroom activities and reward activities. For other activities she would have the parents make a very small contribution which if not received would exclude the student from that activity like an ordinary school. Auld and Churches hated this because they said she was being too tough, but she claimed it taught the students to be responsible."

As we have seen far too often at Carenne, a few get a free ride and special treatment to the detriment of others.

Moon pledges to fix the "dildo issue"

Neil Moon, Carenne's principal who was at the Carenne Support fundraiser on Friday when two staff members presented a sex toy as their unusual item has pledged to staff that he will fix the "dildo issue" and make the problem go away.

A number of staff said they were shocked to see photographs of the event around the whiteboard in the staff room with the words "CONGRATULATIONS" written near them after the horrendous behaviour on the night.

At the staff meeting this afternoon, Mr Moon told staff that he has spoken to Peter Harvey about the issue and told him that he did not see a sex toy at the event. He told all other staff to say they saw and heard nothing about a dildo being present, as it had the potential to spark a large scale investigation.

According to a whistleblower at the meeting, Mr Moon told staff that they didn't need the stress of an allegation like this and he would ensure the "dildo issue" went away. It shows the lengths that the likes of Mr Moon will go to to ensure that the truth about what happens at Carenne is hidden.

The events of Friday night show just why Carenne needs this blog to expose the truth about what happens at Carenne.

Molenkamp, Cranston commit "sexual misconduct": SEA Snitch

Bathurst Schools Office whistleblower, "SEA Snitch" has spoken to Carenne Gate advising that a number of departmental rules were broken on Friday night at the controversial Dinner Dance where staff took a vibrator as an "unusual item" in the presence of a young lady and staff.

The whistleblower said that the most serious incident would involve the sex toy, which was bought to the function in the presence of a young person. SEA Snitch claims that the conduct of Karina Molenkamp and Angie Cranston in showing the sex toy and slapping each other with it is considered sexual misconduct and as such they have to stood down and subject to investigation.

"We already know that Peter doesn't take these seriously. There were allegations of reportable conduct made about Churches and Russell neglecting their own children and he covered those up," said SEA Snitch.

SEA Snitch also said that principal Neil Moon should have intervened and reported the incident under child protection guidelines.

SEA Snitch said -

"The fact that the youngest person there was 16 is still covered by the child protection guidelines and legislation. She is a young person and their behaviour is sexual misconduct. If Moon doesn't report it then he should also be sacked for covering it up."

SEA Snitch said that the use of alcohol while a young person was disallowed under the code of conduct as far as they are aware. SEA Snitch lays the blame fairly at Carenne Support who organised the event and the school executive, who should have known better in their assessment.

"The code of conduct is clear, there is to be no alcohol at school functions where young people, children or students are present. Obviously this wasn't followed in this case," complained SEA Snitch.

In addition to charges of sexual misconduct and breaching the code of conduct through the use of alcohol, SEA Snitch says that the conduct of those who bought the vibrator to the function could amount to sexual harassment, which is illegal in NSW and something which is prohibited by the code of conduct.

SEA Snitch said that they were also concerned about the negative impact the behaviour of staff will have on the school and the wider public education system in NSW.

Sex toy features at Dinner Dance, event a disgrace say attendees

Last night's Dinner Dance for Carenne Support Limited, the organisation central to the Carenne Gate affair was a complete disgrace according to a number of attendees. The Dinner Dance was held at the Bathurst RSL Club to raise funding for a sensory wall at the school. Attendee and Carenne Special School whistleblower nedkelly told Carenne Gate that she was shocked at the conduct of some of her colleagues and at Paul Knight's speech where he took aim at whistleblowers.

Paul Knight's speech mentioned that the school had been engulfed by problems for the last two years and that the only way for Carenne Special School and Carenne Support to survive was to "stick together". Attendees said that it was obvious that Mr Knight was having a shot at whistleblowers who are attempting to clean up Carenne Support and Carenne Special School.

According to nedkelly's estimates only around 80 people were in attendance and of those only two were parents not employed by or associated with Carenne Support or the school. "It was pretty bad considering that they told us that there would be at least 150 people there," Ned told Carenne Gate.

"It just shows how much support the school has lost, the school is really unpopular in the Bathurst community now, people are really over it all."

Another attendee told Carenne Gate that he wasn't surprised by the lack of interest and found it comical that after all the promotion of the event that hardly anybody showed up. The attendee said that it was apparent that the school no longer had the support they once had and that the bus debacle had made the public think twice about giving any money to Carenne Special School or Carenne Support.

"How do you know the money is going to Carenne for what they say. The whole community thought the buses were for the school, nobody told them that they weren't to be owned by the school but an organisation attached to the school which uses them to earn a huge profit," said the attendee.

Another attendee said she was surprised by the absence of Carenne fan Gerard Martin. "Gerard continues to support the rorts at Carenne yet didn't even show up for a supposed charity event for the school."

"I wonder if people know that because of Carenne Support using the buses for themselves that students in wheelchairs can't go on overnight excursions" he said.

All of the attendees who sent complaints to Carenne Gate complained about the conduct of staff at the charity event. One attendee said "how we as staff behave in public is how the school is perceived by the public, when you carry on like they did last night it sends a negative message to the public about the school."

Nedkelly told Carenne Gate that Carenne Support employee Mary Housler, known for attacking people on this blog was terribly drunk and had to be told not to stand on tables and "sexually harassing" a number of attendees including Paul Knight and Geoff Salmon. Nedkelly claims that she was "overly friendly" with Geoff Salmon who appeared very uncomfortable with Mrs Housler's advances.

According to one attendee, he was completely shocked when Karina Molenkamp and Angie Cranston showed the secret item they had bought to the event. "I'm not easily shocked but I couldn't believe it when they pulled out a vibrator, it was so inappropriate. How the department can let this happen is just beyond me, it has to be some sort of serious misconduct to take a sex toy to a school event at a place like the RSL" said the male complainant. Another attendee commented that Mrs Molenkamp and Mrs Cranston's behaviour was unacceptable and that it was only because they shared a table with Lee Churches, Margaret Rowe and Kym Tattersall that they got away with it. "If it had been anyone else, Neil Moon would have thrown them out."

Comments were also made about staff absences from the night. Nedkelly told Carenne Gate that she couldn't believe that Anne Baskerville, one of the people calling for a sensory wall didn't show up. Another attendee commented about Michael Auld breezing in and out of the event. "He might as well not have came along," said the attendee.

According to Carenne Support, they have raised enough money for the sensory wall they want for the school.

Saviours concerned about Jindabyne excursion arrangements, claim corrupt staff allocation made by Moon

A number of Carenne Special School staff are concerned about the supervision arrangements for the planned excursion to Jindabyne later in the week. According to staff, Peter Richards is not medically fit to supervise students so far from home and Angela Cranston is someone who is known to neglect her duties as an aide.

One of the Carenne Saviours told Carenne Gate -
"I am really concerned for both Peter and the kids, Peter has been having frequent epileptic seizures of late and it worries me that he will be responsible for children on this excursion. Another thing that worries me is if he drives and has a fit, even though he has been having fits at least twice a week and he still drives. What if he has a fit while driving on the highway, what about the students on the bus."

Another Carenne whistleblower told Carenne Gate that Angela Cranston was only selected to go on the excursion because she took an extra week's holiday in June for which she was unpaid and that the excursion would entitle her to extra pay which would cover the excursion. The whistleblower said "it's another case of Neil Moon looking after his friends, he couldn't care less about anyone else, he looks after Angie."

The whistleblower also claimed that Angela Cranston's conduct earlier this year when she neglected her duties as an aide and sent a group of students unsupervised back to the school after a teacher was injured while delivering circulars showed she was incapable of providing adequate supervision. "Just think if she leaves kids unsupervised in Jindabyne, it's frightening. She couldn't care less about students, she just wants the money."

Another whistleblower said "This is a woman who thinks its acceptable to supply a child with cigarettes, a child who was just 8 at the time. How can this woman, a child abuser be trusted on an excursion?"

Churches uses truancy officer for Carenne Support's benefit, Porter threatens sacked bus driver

According to Carenne Special School whistleblower Jake Rosenberg, Carenne Support CEO and therapy co-ordinator Christine Porter and Carenne Special School assistant principal and Carenne Support Director Lee Churches came up with a plan to bully a parent using the district truancy officer.

Rosenberg claims to have overheard a conversation last week where Porter said Carenne Support's profits had been lower as a result of some parents on its highly profitable Lithgow bus run keeping their children home. According to Rosenberg the only student on the run who regularly attended had been withdrawn from the school.

Churches was heard telling Porter that she would make sure the student was re-enrolled by "getting the truancy officer" on to the parents.

Churches is alleged to have told Porter that the other two students from the Lithgow area couldn't be counted on to maintain the $130,000 earned by the run.

During the discussion Rosenberg heard Mrs Porter say she would attack former Carenne bus driver Jenny O'Neill out if her salary was reduced to cover the shortfall.

It shows that profit comes before students with Carenne Support.

Inside the Klan: Churches and Housler wanted Jenny O'Neill gone

Former klansmen "nedkelly" has provided further insight into the operation of the group known as the KLAN which controls Carenne Special School in Bathurst. This time, nedkelly has spoken to Carenne Gate about how Lee Churches and Mary Housler wanted bus driver Jenny O'Neill dismissed from her job because she had made complaints about people.

Nedkelly claims that plans had been on foot to dismiss Mrs O'Neill as early as June 2009, but Ms Churches was concerned about how it would look with two bus drivers dismissed in the space of six months.

"Lee told me around June that she wanted Jenny gone because she was a snitch. She said that she had complained about the wrong people and we would have to come up with a plan to have her dismissed but it would need to be a long-term plan because two dismissals in a short period of time would be suspicious," said nedkelly.

She said at the end of 2009, Ms Churches began telling members of the KLAN to complain about Mrs O'Neill being on the blog. When this site was created in November 2009, Ms Churches printed fliers off using the school printer and gave them to Lucy Thornton to pass around to staff so they were aware of the new site.

"Lee printed off fliers using the school's printer and had them passed out by Lucy on the condition that when Lucy was caught out she would say Jenny told her about the new site, Lee said that this would end support for Jenny with Christine Porter who had been one of her supporters," said nedkelly.

Nedkelly says that when Carenne Support had a union representative turn up at a meeting with Mrs O'Neill they became cautious about sacking her. She said that Ms Churches would turn to hassling Jenny away from work.

According to nedkelly, earlier this year Ms Churches and Mary Housler became upset about complaints that Mrs O'Neill had made about Geoff Salmon and Ms Churches. "Lee then said we had to make sure that she went after that, she told us we got rid of two snitches we can get rid of her."

Mrs Housler had a disliking for Mrs O'Neill because she had refused to sign blank pay claims according to nedkelly. Mrs Housler was often heard by nedkelly in the officer rubbishing Mrs O'Neill to Simone Russell.

Nedkelly says a series of complaints were made about Mrs O'Neill but the board of Carenne Support were cautious of dismissing her. Nedkelly says that Christine Porter was asked to step down from her role as bus supervisor (which she took on as part of her role as CEO) so that Mrs Housler's friend Dave Graham could take the job.

"As always happens at Carenne, the job was already fixed up before the job was even advertised. Dave Graham was a friend of Housler's and the interview was just to look as though it was a genuine redundancy, it wasn't."

Nedkelly's tale shows that the KLAN who operate Carenne Special School will not tolerate anyone who dares to speak the truth about Carenne.