Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns (CEDC) / MacKillop Catholic College (MCC) recognises that some families are subject to family breakdown. In meeting its obligations to students and parents, CEDC/MCC relies on the following principles:-
- the education of a child is primarily the responsibility of the child’s parents;
- decisions should be made on the basis of ensuring the continued effective and efficient operation of the College; school decisions are based on what is considered to be in the best interests of the child;
- where parents cannot agree between themselves on what is in the child’s best interests, it is the role of the court, not the College, to determine those interests;
- the College is not the appropriate place for family disputes to be resolved nor is it appropriate for College staff to resolve such issues;
- decisions will be made in an unbiased manner and as far as reasonably practicable, without favour to either parent;
- the obligations imposed by other legislation, such as the Commonwealth Privacy Act need to be considered when dealing with family law related issues; and
- the continued effective and efficient operation of the College and parents’ obligations under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 to ensure their children of compulsory school age attend school or received home schooling take precedence over any interests parents may assert they have under the Family Law Act 1975.
Parents have a responsibility to advise the College immediately if any changes in family circumstances occur which have the potential to impact on the relationship between the College and the parents and/or students. If court orders are obtained by one or both parents, a copy of the orders should be provided to the College as soon as possible.
In the absence of any notification to the contrary (such as a court order), it will be assumed that both parents retain a shared and equal parental responsibility for their children. This means that the College will recognise that each parent has equal duties, obligations, responsibilities and opportunities in relation to matters involving their children’s education at the College.
The following specific guidance is also provided:
- in the absence of any court order to the contrary, generally either parent can enrol a child in a Diocese of Cairns Catholic school; except in specifically defined circumstances, a child will be enrolled using the name that appears on his or her birth certificate;
- in the absence of court orders to the contrary, each parent is entitled to know at which school his or her child is enrolled;
- generally, each parent will be given the opportunity to participate in College related activities, including teacher/parent interviews and can have access to College documentation relating to his or her child;
- unless specifically authorised by a residential parent, children will not be permitted to leave school during the course of a school day.
