(no subject)
To my former teachers and associates at St Peters Lutheran College,
I presume by this stage you will all have heard some news of the issues concerning my future at St Peters.
This morning, via email, Mr. Stephen Rudolph informed my parents “in the best interest of Elizabeth and the school I write to confirm that you seek alternative arrangements for Elizabeth ’s schooling forthwith.” The reasons for my expulsion are still unclear to both myself and my parents. However, the school seems adamant to leave any issues unresolved concerning primarily my future education (the other IB schools in Brisbane do not offer all the subjects I have chosen, so I am left with the choice of out of state schooling or reverting to the OP at other schools, which will still see me far behind in terms of work load) as well as the accusations of verbal and sexual harassment that where made to the school late last week.
I find it unlikely I will have much contact with any of you in the future but I would like to leave St Peters knowing that the faculty, many of whom I regard highly, have heard my side of the ‘story’, so to say. I feel this is important so you may form your own opinion of the events and subsequently of me - I do not wish to leave a trail of people behind me who believe I am some kind of sexual fiend, which I of course do not think I am.
We could trace the beginning of this episode of events months back, but I believe the most appropriate starting place is last Friday, 9th of November. At about 12.30pm on Friday, Mr. Manson, the Head of Year 11, requested that I accompany him to a meeting. When I walked into a room in which my parents, Mr. Radke (Head of Campus and Boarding), Mr. Kleidon (Head of Senior School), Mr. Greenslate (Head of Counseling) were seated, I was slightly confused and apprehensive. After a moment, I presumed that perhaps the meeting was in regards to my boarding at St Peters - something which my family and I had looked into a few weeks ago and been denied. It quickly became apparent that this was not the case, and it was requested that my parents take me home and I not return to school for and undetermined period of time. Furthermore, I was not to play school waterpolo on Saturday. It was impressed upon me that I was not suspended nor was I being punished, that this was for my own health and safety. I was more than a little bewildered as to what was happening, but at the time I did not understand what was happening and took an afternoon of school surprisingly well (!) They did however ensure me that I should try to keep on top of my school work, that they would contact Ms. Winn ASAP and have her make arrangements with my teachers in regards to my workload.
Once home, I asked my dad what had prompted this, to see if he knew anything more. He told me that three people had made written allegations to the school of ‘verbal and sexual harassment.’ I think I lost it then. Many of you who know me will know that I don’t have a particularly high tolerance of, well, people in general. I was completely beside myself, both angry and entirely confused. I had no idea where these hefty allegations were coming from. I demanded then that we go back up to school and be told what I had supposedly done - to give me a chance to defend myself.
My father and I then spent the next hour with Mr. Radke and Mr. Greenslate trying to work out what exactly was happening. They would tell us nothing more, apart from the fact they these allegations had been made, by three different people, and that they had evidence to support these allegations. They refused to disclose anymore, and insisted that I sit around all weekend, mulling over these accusations, until my psychiatrist appointment on Monday morning. They seemed to think that Dr Brennan, my psychiatrist, would have all the answers. They suggested to my dad that he take my phone off me, in order to cut me of from all of my support lines - a.k.a. my friends. Dad did not see how this would help me at all, and chose not to do so. It was again enforced that I was neither suspended nor being punished.
I spoke to a number of my friends over the weekend. They informed me that the school had gotten a group of more than ten of them together, and told them that I was ‘having harassment issues,’ was being removed from the school from both their own and my health. They asked the students not to contact me then continued to call the student’s parents advising them very vaguely as to what was occurring and that if I were to contact their children, the school advised they contact the police. At least one parent asked for a statement in writing from the school, which they had not received as of Tuesday, and I am unsure of whether they have yet.
On Monday, I went to my appointment with Dr. Brennan and I feel very little came out of this meeting. She felt that there was really no where we could go until the school came forward with the allegations.
Soon after this, my mother, who had been in contact with Ms. Winn informed my father and I that the school had not contacted her, as they had promised on Friday, and she had no news except that of which I had given her of what was occurring. Having heard this news, a meeting with Mr. Rudolph was scheduled, as no one below him appeared to care in the least and were not acting in any way to remedy the situation. In this meeting, Mr. Rudolph assured my family that within the next 48 hours we would have some sort of resolution for the allegations which they still chose to not elaborate on at all. They insisted in this time they would also have a ‘written assessment from Dr. Brennan’ to assist them. Within an hour of leaving the meeting, Mr. Rudolph called and suddenly the reason for my suspension had very little to do with the allegations made against me on Friday, and was all about my ‘mental state of mind.’
After much to-ing and fro-ing Dr. Brennan produced to the school a two page report on her view of the situation. She again stated that she felt before we could move anywhere concerning my state of mind, I needed to know the allegations being made against in order to give me a chance to rebut them. Furthermore, in terms of a ‘psychiatric diagnosis’ she stated the following “she has had an episode of depression of moderate severity without psychotic features. Elizabeth may be developing traits of Borderline Personality Disorder but as such as young age when personality is still developing this is not an appropriate diagnosis. She does not satisfy criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Conduct Disorder.” This was on Tuesday afternoon.
By ten thirty on Wednesday morning, my mother had received an email from Mr. Rudolph detailing the ‘conditions’ of my expulsion. He stated the following.
“In this light, 3 things were asked of her:
1. For Elizabeth to stay away from St Peters until matters were resolved
2. For Elizabeth to have no contact with other students in this period
3. For Elizabeth to engage with a psychiatrist for an assessment of her health so as to ascertain whether she is of any risk to herself or other people.
Elizabeth has not complied with all of these.
The failure to comply with these is a matter that the school takes very seriously.
Therefore, in the best interest of Elizabeth and the school I write to confirm that you seek alternative arrangements for Elizabeth ’s schooling forthwith.”
Yes, on Tuesday afternoon, I did go on to campus, escorted by my mother, to retrieve books from my locker so I could continue with my school work, which it was insisted upon I attempt to continue with. It was at no point in time impressed upon my family and I was that I was not allowed to be on campus if I was accompanied by a parent. The school never insisted that I have no contact with my friends - however if they had, I believe they would have had no right to. I adhered to their assessment of my health.
The school now insists my expulsion, for that is what it is, is due my unstable mental health. Where this comes from I am unsure. Furthermore, on Friday I was set to have a meeting with school counselor, Mrs. Donaldson. When I went down to her room, I was told that she was too busy for me and no further arrangements were made for another meeting. If I am so mentally ill - then why such blatant disregard?
Obviously, I feel I have been mistreated by the college, and am very frustrated. I hope that having read this, you can make your own decision upon what has occurred. Furthermore, having no IB pathways open to me in Brisbane, and never really having enjoyed school (the main reason for still being at school is that I felt better there with my friends, than anywhere else) I do not intend on enrolling elsewhere to complete my high school education. Having said this, I do not know where to turn in regards to my future, so I turn to those who surrounded me throughout my previous education and ask for your advice on where next to direct my life. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Elizabeth Smith
Please feel free to forward this to anyone whom you feel it may concern.
at least i'm free? and i'm getting over the anger.