A parents' group has asked the state government to conduct a review into the alleged abuse of 60 students at an eastern Victorian special developmental school, which they claim has been left unchecked for years.
Voices for Special Needs (VFSN) alleges extensive incidents of physical, mental and sexual abuse over an almost 20-year period at Latrobe Special Development School.
Allegations seen by the ABC and raised with Victorian premier Ben Carroll on Saturday include details of 15 alleged incidents of sexual abuse.
The allegations include student-on-student sexual abuse and inappropriate remarks and sexual assaults of students by staff.
They also include ongoing sexualised behaviours by students that allegedly ran unchecked by staff in what parents say is a pattern of secrecy and abuse.
The allegations are drawn from the alleged experiences of parents, students and former staff at Latrobe SDS.
Spokesperson for VFSN, Leanne Vella, said the faith and trust of parents whose children attended the school had been shaken.
As well as an independent investigation, the group wants video cameras installed in classrooms at special schools like Latrobe SDS and in buses used to transport students to and from the school to provide a layer of security and safety for students.
"For the life of me, I can't see why it's not just a given," Ms Vella said.
The group has presented a timeline of the alleged assaults, said to have occurred between 2008 and 2026, to the premier and all state MPs.
Some of the victims in the timeline were withdrawn from the school after the alleged incidents, and their parents say they suffer from ongoing health impacts.
Abuse shocking, advocate says
Disability rights advocate Julie Phillips, who has been working with VFSN, has previously advocated for students in other special schools around Victoria, including in Bendigo and Sunshine.
"[Abuse is] more likely to occur in special schools probably because of the closed culture … so it's easier to hide an abusive culture," Ms Phillips said.
But she said she had been shocked by the alleged abuse perpetrated at Latrobe SDS.
"Latrobe probably has a greater number, to my knowledge, of the sexual offences student-to-student that haven't been dealt with than any other special school that I've come across."
In the timeline presented to the state's politicians, it's alleged that a particular student sexually assaulted children more than six times on school grounds over a seven-year period.
"Is that what we want?"
'No school, no school'
Former parent Carrie* said since leaving the school her son has been medicated for anxiety.
One day in 2014, when she picked him up from school, Carrie said her son let out a "deep howl".
"He just completely lost it in the car, he was inconsolable."
She said he showed signs of fear about using the toilet, backing into a wall and covering his genitals.
He would not let her help him to shower and refused to change his clothes for several days.
"He would cry before he got on the [school] bus, he would hide his bag, he'd repeat 'no school, no school' over and over," Carrie said.
Her son is non-verbal, so she has not been able to confirm what happened, but she believes he was sexually assaulted.
She felt staff did not take her concerns seriously.
Carrie removed her son from the school in 2020, feeling that she could go no further with her concerns.
Twelve years on he still has a fear of going to the toilet and pulls his pubic hair out when he feels agitated.
Family feels let down
A second parent, Monica*, said she took her concerns to the police after her daughter alleged she had been inappropriately touched by a contractor who worked at the school.
She said she explained to detectives the best way to communicate with her daughter, who uses sign gestures and PECS boards to speak.
She said detectives took her daughter's clothing for forensic testing and interviewed her using basic sign language, but not the resources her speech pathologist had offered to provide.
Monica said police would not allow her or her mother in the interview room for support, and an interpreter from Melbourne was not able to travel due to the COVID lockdown.
She told the ABC that police said her daughter would not make a good witness if the case went to court.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the child's allegations had been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
"The investigation included forensic testing and an interview with the child," they said.
"The child's mother was present at the station during the interviewing process."
The police spokesperson said members used the Visual Audio Recorded Evidence model which is designed to support vulnerable witnesses and captures visual communication.
Former teacher speaks out
Former education support worker Anne*, who worked at Latrobe SDS for over two decades in education support, said she was left scarred by what she witnessed during her time there.
She alleges she approached senior leadership, but "you couldn't speak to them about what happened with the kids because they wouldn't listen".
A male student would regularly inappropriately touch students, Anne said, and she was aware of other incidents of sexual assault on the school grounds.
She said staff could be physically and verbally abusive, recalling one student being referred to as a "dirty little prick", and staff dragging students around or pushing them to the ground.
Anne said staff who complained or raised allegations of physical and sexual abuse at the school were bullied.
"I was excluded from everything.
"I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression … after this had happened."
She said other staff members told her they would not complain about what they witnessed out of fear of being excluded too.
She became suicidal during her time at the school.
During a meeting in 2022, Anne said she reported manhandling and incidents of sexual abuse to an education department official.
That official told her to go on WorkCover. Anne eventually took WorkCover and retired, saying she felt broken.
Signs of sexual abuse
Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault chief executive Jane Barr said young people with a disability could show signs of sexual assault in various ways.
She said parents would likely notice a change in their child's behaviour.
"They may be more isolated or more guarded, not willing to communicate as they once did," she said.
"Some [children are] not quite aware of what's happening to them at that particular point. They may seem more confused or less settled than they usually are."
Ms Barr said some victims may be fearful of being in contact with, or in the same space as, the person who assaulted them and may withdraw.
She said some young people may only report sexual assault after the incident when they're in an environment where they feel safer, so disclosure of the assault might take time.
Ms Barr said the Department Of Education had particular guidelines in place for educators with concerns around child safety, outlining what their legal obligations are.
"The Department Of Education has in place a PROTECT policy, which identifies the procedures, processes and supports for any victim within a school setting," she said.
"If there's incidents within schools, schools have an obligation through what's called their reporting pathways within the Department of Education, and they're focusing strongly on making sure that there's accessible pathways following disclosures.
"Specialist schools are a really high priority for us in terms of advocacy and reaching out and making sure that the people, not just the students, children and young people, but their families are well supported as well."
She said parents who are concerned their child has been a victim of sexual assault should seek independent legal advice.
"It doesn't mean always that once it's reported through a school principal, through to the Department of Education, that there's enough evidence to go and progress," Ms Barr said.
Department says action taken
The Department of Education ordered a review of the school's culture, which was undertaken in 2021, and recommended 10 actions.
Based on the review the department then developed a plan of 34 actions.
The majority of these were completed by the end of term four in 2022, but three were deemed to be ongoing.
The ABC understands staff were able to provide feedback into the school's culture and the department has sought feedback from the school community following the review.
The department said it is not aware of any new misconduct claims made against the school since the review was conducted.
The ABC requested a copy of the review and its recommendations but the department would not provide a copy, citing confidentiality.
The ABC also contacted the Department of Education with an extensive list of questions related to the claims put forward by VFSN.
The department provided a short statement, saying the safety of students was its priority.
The spokesperson said security cameras at the school cover "all external school grounds, including in areas where staff supervision may not be continuous".
The ABC also contacted Latrobe Special Developmental School with a series of questions about the allegations but did not receive a response.
In late July, the Victorian government made a parliamentary apology to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools.
But Ms Vella said the parents involved in VFSN did not feel that the apology addressed their concerns or their trauma.
"My child was not safe at one of their Victorian special schools," she said.
"Abuses are still happening, they aren't historical, and the system in place is failing and has been for a very long time.
"It's just another announcement without any humility or integrity."
Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath, who has spoken with Voices for Special Needs about their allegations, raised their concerns in parliament in late August.
"The action I seek is for the premier to meet with representatives of Voices for Special Needs and affected Latrobe Valley families with a view to establishing an independent review of historical child safety complaints and concerns involving Victorian specialist schools and how they were handled," she told parliament.
She said the families had "spent years seeking answers about safety concerns involving students with disability".
* The ABC has used pseudonyms to avoid identifying alleged victims.
If this story has raised any issues for you, you can contact:
