Exposure to mercury covered up

Carenne School has covered up the exposure of a number of students and staff to Mercury vapor following the breakage of a projector lamp on Wednesday. Staff claim that the lamp broke after Michael Auld told class staff it would be safe to continue using after a safety warning appeared saying it needed replacement.

Staff claim that following the breakage and release of vapor, students remained in the room despite it being a recommendation that the room be evacuated and aired out for at least 15 minutes with the air conditioner off. It is possible that the teacher did not know about this safety procedure. Staff also claim that the mercury was cleaned up using a vacuum, which the US EPA discourages as it makes mercury particles airborne.

Peter Harvey was made aware of the incident by a Carenne whistleblower who claims she never heard back from him.

Nepotistic staffing continues at Carenne Special School

Over the past several months, allegations about nepotism in staffing at Carenne Special School and the failure to follow merit selection procedures has surfaced. These claims have been been strengthened by the appointment of Karina Mollenkamp and Yvette Smith to permanent teacher's aide positions.

The appointment came as no surprise, on February 7 it was posted on this blog that these two aides would be given permanent positions, before the interviews were even held. Carenne Special School staff were not at all surprised when it was announced yesterday that they would be taking up permanent positions after being successful in the interview process.

Staff claim that Lee Churches told them that the selection process had already been sewn up, as her and the executive wanted Molenkamp and Smith because they can be trusted. Molenkamp is a close friend to a number of staff at Carenne Special School, which is how she got the casual job there to begin with. Smith is a close friend of two members of the Carenne Special School executive.

Staff believe that both aides were not the best choice for the job, claiming they have less skills and experience than other candidates. They claim it is yet another example of Carenne Nepotism.

Legal representation provided to $130,000 pa contractor (again)

Carenne Support, the organisation central to the Carenne Gate Affair is being represented in the Industrial Relations Commission by the Director-General of Education and Training, despite being a contractor earning in excess of $130,000 a year from the Department of Education and Training.

The Carenne Gate Affair first came to the public's attention when I reported on Sydney Indymedia that the Minister for Education and Training misled parliament in response to a question about whether or not the Department of Education and Training was providing legal representation to its contractor Carenne Support Limited. That legal representation was subsequently withdrawn.

Since June 2009, a number of concerns have been raised about Carenne Support. These range from a fundraising campaign to purchase two buses for the school which ended up owned by Carenne Support, the principal of Carenne Special School approving payment from DET to a company he is a director of, Overclaiming of payments from the department to Carenne Support and a Carenne Support escort, therapy blunders, the destruction of evidence that a student had not received therapy, the remuneration of a director when it is a non-profit company, false claims made about another operator to try and take his contract, harassment of parents and whistleblowers and allowing a bus to be used when human faeces had been placed inside it to harass one of its drivers.

The Department of Education and Training is also aware of Carenne Support director and Carenne Special School assistant principal Lee Churches posting on Sydney Indymedia, threatening parents, leaking confidential information and making racist remarks. There has also been the posting of information on this blog by Mary Housler, Carenne Support's book keeper. These postings have been made in direct contravention of orders by the Department of Education and Training.

It would appear that the department is looking the other way while these issues with Carenne Support are raised and debated publicly even though this is looking as though the department is condoning this behaviour. On 5 February 2010, I asked the Disability Programs Directorate of the Department of Education and Training just why Carenne Support is given this special treatment. I am told that the "appropriate officer" is looking at it but has not gotten back to me.

Now Carenne Support is being represented in new legal proceedings by the Department of Education of Training, it looks as though it is part of the department or at the least given some special status by it. Is this because it involves prominent parents, staff and Bathurst community members? Why should the department provide this assistance to a contractor which earns some $130,000 a year from it?

Carenne staff bully driver using faeces

Also posted to Sydney Indymedia

On Monday February 8 2010, students from Carenne School in Bathurst were forced to travel on a bus between Bathurst and Lithgow after staff had placed faeces on the front seat. According to witness accounts, a number of Carenne School staff were standing around and laughing as the driver got in and found the stinking mess.

On a blog that evening, one of the staff posted asking whether the driver liked her present that was left for her. The story then came out that someone had placed faeces on the seat of the bus in an attempt to bully the driver.

Students then had to travel from Bathurst to Lithgow in a bus stinking of faeces.

It further demonstrates bullying and threats at a school full of problems.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 10/02/2010:
Parents have contacted the principal of Carenne Public School, Neil Moon and Bathurst Schools Director Peter Harvey about the bullying of a driver using human faeces and the transport of students in a bus smelling of faeces for three days.

The schools director told parents that the bus was vandalised and the vandals must have put the faeces in the bus. Carenne principal Neil Moon told parents that a student had an "accident" on the front seat of the bus. Posts on this website indicate otherwise.

Another Carenne staff encourage underage drinking

From Inside Carenne

Following the revelation that Lee Churches supplies her underage son and his friends with alcohol, she began showing people photographs of another Carenne staff member who encourages underage drinking at their house. It appears that Simone Russell, the school's SAM and her husband Sergeant Scott Russell supply alcohol to their underage daughter and friends at the family home.


















Is that a police plaque in the background? I thought the Supply Means Supply campaign by the Police was supposed to kerb this kind of behaviour yet you have one of their own officers supplying alcohol to minors!







































A very drunk visitor to the Russell family home

Another Indymedia claim comes true - Minshull looked after by Carenne Support

In what is clearly a case of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", Carenne Support has employed former Capebase driver Steven Minshull to look after its vehicles.

Minshull was accused on this website of conspiring with Simone Russell to defraud the department to maximise payment to his employer.

Despite claims by Carenne Support representatives and the Carenne Special School executive that everything on Sydney Indymedia and Carenne Gate are lies, rubbish or rot; it appears that yet another claim made by a Carenne Saviour has come true.

On September 19th 2009, savecarenne wrote:

"What about this new deal Steve the bus driver and Ros have so that a new student
in her class will travel to and from school on his bus so he still has a bus driving job
at the end of the year. Carenne Support's bus could do the job with ease, but instead
of doing what makes sense they are looking after their friend. I wouldn't be surprised
if Steve loses a run that Carenne would give him a job maybe on one of their own
buses."

It would appear that despite this arrangement not going ahead (possibly due to being publicly exposed) that Carenne Support has scratched its mate's back for him, ensuring he still has a job.

UPDATE: Mary Housler, Carenne Support's book keeper has admitted that a position was offered to Mr Minshull by Christine Porter and herself but was refused by him the next day after he took a copy of the contract. Mary also admits she told staff that Steve would be working as a bus escort the following Monday and alternate arrangements have been made now that he has refused Carenne Support's offer.

DET computer used to post to Carenne Gate

Despite warnings from Carenne Special School executive staff, the Bathurst schools director and regional director Carole McDiarmid a DET computer was used to post to this website at 4:13PM on 1 February 2010.

Due to the posting of a person's home address in a posting which appeared to threaten a whistleblower or parent using this site, I had it traced by an access request which discovered it to be from the source address 153.107.97.152.

Peter Harvey was contacted about the posting but hasn't replied.

It is believed that the posting came from a source in the department other than Carenne Special School as I am told this site is blocked from being accessed there.