The Gap State High School, one of the largest student communities in Brisbane, will no longer be supervising students at the bus stops after school when classes resume for Term 2.
Before the Easter holidays, school officials informed parents that the standard practice of supervising students at public transportation sites when they go home will no longer follow due to “industrial direction.”
Per the Queensland Teachers Union, school staff workers are expected to look out for the children for at least 30 minutes but only for school bus riders. However, The Gap High School is on the busy Waterworks Road and for some time, the school has been coming up with ways to manage and ensure the safety of the number of students taking the public buses.
GSHS principal Anne McLauchlan said that they have coordinated with local officials, as well as councillors, over concerns about the flow of traffic on Waterworks Road versus the flow of students at the end of the school day.
During Term 1, the school has trialled different school exits, with school workers initially guiding the students, to manage the foot traffic. According to an Education Department spokesperson, the trial proved to be a success and eased the crowding of kids on the roadside during peak hours.
Meanwhile, The Gap State High School will keep conducting sessions with the students on safe travels on the road. Parents will also be given constant reminders to guide their children as well and talk about proper behaviour, especially when taking public transport after school.
In March 2022, You Choose Youth Road Safety held a road safety session at the school, which was attended by 250 kids.
