Ibtihage Al-Sabahi is the mother of Lara Al-Sabahi, a seventh grader who is legally blind and requires assistance to move about.
Ms Al-Sabahi said persistent and unresolved bullying incidents she claims that had taken place during 2021-2022 had forced her family to move suburbs to find a different school for Lara’s safety.
She told SBS Arabic24 the incidents of bullying and neglect that she claimed Lara was subjected to occurred from the second half of last year through to the end of the first term of this current school year.
“On November 22, 2021 Lara told me that she was left in a classroom alone with the door closed on her unsupervised for two hours when all the other students went to another room for an Italian lesson,” Ms Al-Sabahi said.
She came home, collapsed and told me she was crying alone in class. She didn’t want to go back to this school again.
Ms Ibtihage claimed that when she raised her concerns with the school’s deputy principal the following day, the response was that the teacher thought Lara was absent.
"No one tried to contact me to check whether Lara was absent or to try to find her," she said.
Ms Ibtihage said she then contacted the Department of Education to report the incident.
The department held a meeting on November 30, 2021, which included a department representative, Lara’s parents, the school principal and her deputy to discuss the incident.
This meeting was followed by a letter from the department dated December 1, 2021 and seen by SBS Arabic24 to both parents stating that Lara and her parents would report all their future concerns directly to the principal and her deputy to take appropriate action to solve any problems directly.
In the letter, the department representative said he wished to “extend an apology on behalf of the department for any distress that this has caused” to Lara and her family.
Lara Al-Sabahi Source: Ibtihage Al-Sabahi
New bullying concerns raised
Lara's mother claimed that she tried to communicate her new arising concerns in the first term of the current school year (February-March 2022) to the board and other teachers which were not taken seriously, and no action was taken to ensure that Lara was not harmed by other students.
Lara said in her interview with SBS Arabic24 that at the end of the first term of this school year that she was still being bullied by her classmates.
"They poke my body, they hit me, and they scream in my ears," she said.
Ms Ibtihage also claimed that Lara was bitten on the head on March 21, 2022.
The school had committed, in the November 2021 meeting with the department, and in the December 1, 2021, letter, to allocate one of the teachers to accompany Lara in the school yard in the morning before commencing the school’s day classes.
But Ms Ibtihage said that Lara claimed she was still left alone in the morning and that she was being bullied by other students until one of the teachers came and took her to class.
One of the final incidents that Ms Ibtihage recorded of what allegedly happened to Lara, was: "The students pulled the chair out from behind Lara when she was trying to sit on March 14, 2021, which led to her falling to the ground."
Lara claims that one of the teachers, who helped her put an ice pack on her bruises told her not to tell her parents about the incident.
Ms Ibtihage claimed that she informed two support teachers who spoke Arabic about this incident. She said that these two teachers were the ones who performed the interpretation service between the parents who struggle in English and the school. Ms Ibtihage claimed that since then, no one had come back to her.
"I no longer want to send them to this school”
Another mother, Nazha Barak, is a widow with three daughters.
She has twin girls at Lurnea High School and claimed to have experienced a similar incident of what she called “teacher neglect”.
Hala and Hanin Hassan are both in a grade eight special needs class.
Ms Nazha said that she had spoken to the principal, Kylie Landergan, her deputy, and an official from the Department of Education about the incidents of bullying and neglect she claimed her daughters had experienced throughout 2021 and 2022.
She claimed that one of her two daughters was subjected to physical bullying on February 17, 2022 from other students.
"I complained to the school and did not hear of any action against other students to deter or punish them for beating my daughter,” she said.
Ms Nazha also claimed a month after the February incident, her daughters were left unsupervised.
Hala and Hanin Hassan Source: Nazha Barak
“[The school] left Hala and Hanin on the street unsupervised after I was late for pick-up time on March 19, 2021,” she said.
Ms Nazha said that school pick-up time was 3pm.
“I arrived at 3.10pm and found no one in the pickup area. When I checked my phone to see if the school tried to call me, I found that no attempts had been made,” she said.
"My heart almost stopped when I arrived, and I couldn't find anyone at the school. I started looking for them in the street and around the school on a very rainy day."
Ms Nazha said to SBS Arabic24 that when she raised her concerns to the school, she received a verbal apology and was assured that the incident would not happen again.
She also claimed that bullying of a sexual nature was taking place late last year, including classmates urging the girls to go and kiss boys.
This year, I was shocked when one of my daughter’s came back home on March 30 to tell me that one of her classmates pulled her trackpants down in front of boys.
Ms Nazha said that she requested a meeting with the principal to complain about the incident.
“The principal assured me that this incident would be investigated and offered a verbal apology,” she said.
Hala and Haneen's mother said she was very distressed over the series of incidents that had been happening to her girls. She said she felt very sad about the lack of action from the school and felt that she was being ignored and her fears were being diminished by the school.
"All I want now is to transfer the girls to another school. I am very concerned about my daughters' lives and mental health," she said
Mrs Nazha said she that in November 2021, she decided to submit a request to transfer her daughters to another school in order to protect them.
Nazha Barak claimed that one of her two daughters was subjected to physical bullying on February 17 this year from other students at Lurnea High School. Source: Nazha Barak
However, she said a response to her transfer request took excessively long. Four months later, in March 2022, the school received a response from the department that the request had been “deferred” on the basis that there was not space for both girls to move together to a school in another catchment.
"I no longer want to send them to this school for their own safety, but the school said that (if I don’t) I would break the law and be held accountable," she said.
“Assaulted on Harmony Day”
Siba Hosni, the mother of seventh-grade student Saleh, said she was shocked about claims her son was physically bullied on National Harmony Day (March 21) earlier this year.
Ms Hosni said: "Saleh went on this day, wearing a cultural scarf around his neck but was then severely assaulted by three girls.”
[They] pulled the scarf around his neck to the point of suffocation.
"Saleh said that the teacher was in the classroom, and this left marks on his neck and cut his skin from the edge of the friction."
She added that he had been afraid to go back to school for a few days after that.
Ms Hosni claimed that she raised the incident with the school who assured her that the incident would be investigated. However, Ms Hosni said no action was taken.
She demanded that the school sought to establish clear and explicit policies to reduce incidents of bullying and impose consequences on students.
SBS Arabic24 submitted all three families' complaints to Lurnea High School seeking a response. The Department of Education responded on behalf of the school’s principal, deputy principal and other staff in the following statement:
“The safety, wellbeing, and inclusion of all students in NSW Government schools is paramount.
“NSW Government schools work to provide safe, inclusive, and respectful learning communities that promote student wellbeing and engagement.
“All incidents of student injury and/or distress are responded to by schools and students’ parents/carers are notified accordingly.
“The NSW Department of Education School Community and Consumer complaints handling process has been engaged to address matters relating to Lurnea High School.
“The school’s Behaviour Management Plan and Anti-Bullying Plans are revised annually and are aligned to and
“The Department is committed to providing inclusive education for all students with disability in our mainstream schools, in support classes in mainstream schools, and schools for specific purposes. Inclusion is embedded in all aspects of school life, and is supported by the school’s culture, policies, and everyday practices.
“The Department rejects all forms of bullying behaviour including online (or cyber) bullying of students and staff; and requires students to be inclusive and respect other students, their teachers, school staff, and community members, and to not bully, harass, intimidate, or discriminate against anyone in our schools.”
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson added that Lurnea High School had reviewed and enhanced its processes to ensure that students like Lara would not be left unsupervised and had introduced Braille plates on wayfinding signage to assist Lara and other students with vision impairments.
“If a student, parent, or carer believes a matter is not being dealt with effectively, they can refer the matter to the school’s principal (or delegate) for resolution,” the statement said.
“If the student, parent or carer still has concerns after referring the matter to the school’s principal (or delegate), and would like advice, they can contact the at the local education office.
“If the matter is then still not resolved, they can contact the , at the local education office, who must follow the , which applies to all NSW public schools and preschools.”
If you or someone you know need mental health support, you can call beyond blue on 1300 22 4636 and Kids help line on 1800 55 1800.
