Responsibilities blurred at Carenne for years: Rosenberg

Carenne Special School whistleblower, "Jake Rosenberg" has spoken out about teachers leaving aides unattended with students in direct defiance of their role statement, child protection rules and against the advice of their union.

Rosenberg reports that it is common practice at Carenne for teachers to leave the classroom for extended periods and expect for the aide to supervise students. Rosenberg also says that aides have been asked to use their own vehicles to transport groups of students to and from work placements. She claims that this practice has been supported by successive principals from Jock Roxborough through to Neil Moon.

When Rosenberg raised the issue with Mr Moon, she was told not to be a "whinger" and to just do her job.

Rosenberg claims that the worst culprit for leaving their aide unattended with students for extended periods is Anne Baskerville. "She leaves her aides all the time, she might get a call from Neil Moon to go to another class to settle a student down but most of the time she is outside speaking, cuddling and kissing [name removed]."

Rosenberg says she is concerned about what would happen if there was an incident in the class while Baskerville was off doing something else. "It's the class for the really disabled kids, the ones that need to be looked after more than the rest, she shouldn't be off frolicking with other students or being called to other rooms, it's wrong."

Rosenberg says that the problem is spread throughout the school. "Peter Richards, Michael Auld, Ros Luther, they all leave aides unattended with students. On work experience days aides and teachers take kids to work in their own cars."

Barracus told Carenne Gate that the practice of taking students to work placements by both teachers and aides needed to be re-evaluated.

"I have told Neil Moon that it is asking for another allegation to be made. There were allegations that Anna Blackburn and David Withyman were getting intimate to and from work and TAFE, what's to stop that happening again. Nothing. Of course, you know what Moon did? Blew me off!," said Barracus.

According to documents by the Public Service Association, School Learning Support Officers (formerly teacher's aides) are not to supervise students. They are also not to take them to and from work experience or other activities. Only teachers can supervise students. The PSA recommends that any SLSO who is pressured to do this should contact them.

What it shows is that once more, the executive of Carenne are incapable of following the department's child protection guidelines. It also shows the appalling leadership qualities of Mr Moon who will not listen to concerns from his staff.

Police questionnaire not voluntary or confidential: nedkelly

Carenne Special School klansmen turned whistleblower, nedkelly has told Carenne Gate that the police questionnaire that staff are being asked to complete is anything but voluntary or confidential due to the actions of Carenne principal Neil Moon.

Nedkelly, one of the targets of the Police in the questionnaire claims that Neil Moon went from class to class today, badgering staff for their questionnaire, saying that he knew who had returned them and who hadn't. She alleges that Neil Moon told her that he would be forwarding a list of names of people who didn't complete the survey to Peter Harvey so that action could be taken against them. Nedkelly also says that Neil Moon told her that anyone who didn't complete the form or who refused to give permission for the Police to examine their computers would be suspects.

In the covering letter for the questionnaire, Detective Senior Constable Steve Innes states that "Your participation in completing the questionnaire is completely voluntary and all information will remain confidential." Neil Moon's actions show that this is not correct, at least on his part.

According to Nedkelly -

"Every return envelope is numbered and there is a list of who took which envelope, Neil knows exactly who returns them and who doesn't and when he comes around to your class while you are working, demanding it and threatening them if he is told that they were thinking of not returning it, it's so obvious that it isn't confidential. He knows who is handing them back and who isn't."

Nedkelly told Carenne Gate that she was concerned that Neil Moon told staff what he wanted written on the form. "He told us that we should write all the same people on the form so that they can be blamed, he said that he wanted to make sure the attention was on a few former employees, a few parents and a couple of problematic 'current' staff."

Unions have advised staff not to complete the questionnaire, however staff are concerned about their jobs and being hassled by Police and many have not followed their union's advice.

Staff claim that they are were bullied and harassed by Neil Moon about completing the form and what to put on it.

Unions intervene, Neil Moon blamed for placing "undue stress" on staff over Police questionnaire

The Teacher's Federation and Public Service Association have advised Carenne Special School staff to not take part in the questionnaire being undertaken by Bathurst Detectives relating to this blog.

One of the Carenne Saviours told Carenne Gate that she had contacted her union after receiving the questionnaire from Carenne principal Neil Moon, who told her that it was inappropriate for Mr Moon to be supporting such an investigation when investigations should be carried out by the education department's serious misconduct unit.

The Teacher's Federation reportedly claimed that Neil Moon's actions of passing the questionnaires out and telling staff that if they didn't complete them their employment would be terminated placed "undue stress" upon staff.

An anonymous source told Carenne Gate that they believed the police were simply "fishing for information" for the education department, conducting the questionnaire with the intention of giving the findings back to the department. "The whole process is flawed, why have Neil Moon hand out the forms and receive them back? It's completely unacceptable."

It provides further evidence that the Police are not serious about dealing with real issues at Carenne and would instead prefer to silence dissenters.