Win for Chapel Hill State School
Monday, 10 October 2011 14:50
Readers will recall that I made a vigorous appeal on behalf of parents of the Chapel Hill State School for a major safety upgrade of the school.
Over 300 parents representing most families in the school also signed a petition.
After a tour of the school, at the invitation of parents, I was shocked to see a major water course unfenced, steep embankments unfenced, sharp objects protruding into child activity areas, so many trip hazards that they were uncountable, a major entry to the school from Tinbeerwah Place that was so rough it could not be entered with a pram or by elderly people and a huge number of trees dropping branches into children’s play areas.
I presented the demand for a major safety upgrade to the education estimates committee this year as well as pursuing the issue with the media. I am very pleased that we have finally drawn a significant and positive response from the government. Following these representations the Director-General visited the school. A major arborist report has been conducted and a large sum of money provided for the removal of 25 dangerous trees and the pruning to make safe of another 75 trees.
I was shocked to see a flood prone watercourse unfenced in the school playground.
I understand as well the worst part of this watercourse through the playground will finally be fenced. Also a new entrance will be constructed from Tinbeerwah Place.
Whilst this stops short of parents requests that sufficient groundsman time be available to keep the grounds in a safe state this can only be described as a great win for parents at the school and their children.
We cannot put a price on the safety of children. There had already been very serious injuries requiring major surgery to at least one child and an array of other injuries within the school.
It seems that I am frequently raising issues related to safety but I will certainly make no apology for that as there is a duty of care to ensure that children and their parents who go to school are keep as safe as it is possible to do so.
Once again this demonstrates the effectiveness of being able to present such an issue direct to Ministers and Director-Generals, in this case at an estimates committee and like the lighting project at Akuna Oval it often takes such action to see a result. I am certainly pleased to see this one.