Cardinia’s schooling community has been left frustrated again this week, after overnight local area fire ratings meant the shutdown and relocation of some local schools.
Short notice closures saw schools across Cardinia close on Wednesday 11 March, with the school community waking up to the news that kids would be home for the day.
“Cockatoo Primary School, Upper Beaconsfield Primary School and Emerald Secondary College closed or relocated as an extreme fire danger rating was issued for Cardinia overnight,” Ranges Ward Councillor David Nickells said on social media.
The school closures are due to a statewide policy that informs the bushfire at-risk register (BARR).
A Department of Education spokesperson said this assessment was conducted by the CSIRO annually for every school and early childhood service in Victoria.
All schools across Victoria are ranked, and under the Department of Education’s policy, all category two services are required to close or relocate when the LGA fire danger rating reaches extreme.
BARR can place a school or kinder into category zero, one, two or three, with category zero having the highest bushfire risk profile.
The site’s terrain, fuel and vegetation type, its Bushfire Prone Area designation and Shelter-in-Place (SIP) building are taken into account when the rank is given.
The BARR ratings are then used to decide if the school will operate, shut down or move to a partnered school on extreme fire days.
The LGA fire rating is not public, and the community must wait for late afternoon or evening communications from their schools.
“The safety of students and staff is always our highest priority,” the department spokesperson said.
“As a result of the Extreme Fire Danger Rating for the Cardinia LGA issued by the Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday morning, schools enacted their Emergency Management Plan.
“Schools communicate with parents soon after upgraded Fire Danger Ratings are released by the BOM.
“We are grateful for the support of school staff and parents to keep our school communities safe”.
In Cardinia this year, Emerald and Cockatoo have schools that are now classified as both category two and three in their suburbs, already dealing with closures in early February.
This means families with children attending across schools will have some children required to stay home or relocate, while others attend as normal.
Cr Nickells said there is a Notice of Motion already tabled for the Cardinia Council’s next meeting, along the lines that Cardinia take appropriate actions on this matter that are available to the council at a local government level.
“Unfortunately, that mostly involves escalation to the Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Education, plus tabling the matter at the Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee, on behalf of our local students, parents and teaching staff affected,” he said.
“But at least it’s something, coming from the third layer of government that’s closest to the community.”
The councillor is also rallying support to write to the government about the ongoing disruptions.
“Our district needs to tell the government clearly that the current setup is confusing, self-contradictory and is causing significant disruption – and needs fixing with urgency,” he said on social media.
For a full list of the schools on the BARR, the community can head to the Department of Education’s website at: vic.gov.au/bushfire-risk-register-barr
