Key staff resign from private boarding school after ‘strapping' abuse scandal
Staff at Ballarat Grammar were told on Tuesday that the head of the school's Dart House boarding facility, Alex Sylvan, had decided to step down and would not return when term 2 begins next week.
The school's leadership praised Sylvan's efforts as head of the house and wished the experienced teacher well.
A.K.M. Azad also stepped down as assistant head of Dart House, but will continue to work at the school as an academic mentor to boarders and as a classroom teacher.
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Parents continue to pressure the school over its response to allegations that at least 10 boarding students had used straps to 'punish' children as young as year 7 level, with at least 12 victims thought to be involved.
Two senior students were expelled after an investigation by the school and another group of boys has been moved off-campus – to a house owned by the school in Ballarat – while continuing their studies as day students.
Police continue to investigate the alleged assaults, which are said to have occurred in 2023 and 2024, and the state's education regulator, the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, also says it is making inquiries.
Ballarat Grammar headmaster Adam Heath thanked the two departing Dart House leaders on Tuesday.
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