A video has emerged of a Knox Grammar student using racist slurs, the latest in a string of disturbing incidents that call into question the private school’s approach to derogatory and offensive language. The video, first reported by The Daily Telegraph, shows a group of Knox Grammar students walking outside in school uniform. “Say it for the camera,” the person filming says. prompting his friend to reply: “I hate n….s.” Last week, screenshots emerged from a private chat group that included students from the elite Wahroonga school. Material shared in the group included videos appearing to show young men and children being raped and comments about wanting to be a paedophile. The children who started the chat group were believed to be in year 9. It is not clear whether they are the same students who were filmed in the latest video.
“The boys posted inappropriate images and engaged in offensive commentary in an online private chatroom,” Knox headmaster Scott James wrote in a letter to parents after the chat group was discovered. “The nature of these posts is contrary to the values and culture of Knox and is unacceptable. The actions of these boys do not reflect a Knox education or the expectations that we place on our students to be respectful and responsible citizens in the community.” Some of the students involved in the chat were suspended, while others left, Mr James said. All students were “counselled”. “We take no pleasure in the action we have taken but we believe we have found the right balance between upholding the values of this community and the need for consequences,” he said. “This is a further reminder of the importance of social media education and the supervision of social media use.”
The chatroom caused NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham to call for an investigation by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) into the school. “I think NESA should get to the bottom of the stuff that’s beyond sickening, it’s positively evil,” Mr Latham told The Australian. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has since asked NESA to monitor the school. A spokesperson for Knox Grammar told The Australian: “The school was unaware of the video until brought to our attention by the Daily Telegraph, whereupon we have immediately commenced our investigation. This behaviour is unacceptable and contrary to the values and culture of Knox, so will be taken extremely seriously.”
Source: Compiled by APN from media reports
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