Federal Four Strikes Policy Proposed to End School Bullying
Following the death of 13-year-old Atreyu McCann, Sydney mother Clare McCann has petitioned Federal Parliament for a legally binding national framework to address school bullying. The proposed Four Strikes policy aims to replace self-regulated school policies with a strict, transparent nationwide standard, mandating escalating consequences and behavioural intervention for perpetrators.
What is the proposed Four Strikes framework for schools?
At the centre of the federal e-petition is a National Four Strikes Framework paired with compulsory behavioural intervention programs. The proposal replaces inconsistent self-regulated school policies with a clear escalation path, ensuring schools can no longer dismiss persistent abuse as normal childhood behaviour.
Under the proposed framework, consequences escalate as follows:
- One Strike: Triggered by repeated teasing, exclusion, name-calling, and online harassment. The school must formally record the incidents, intervene, and monitor the situation.
- Two Strikes: Triggered by racist, discriminatory, sexualised, threatening, stalking, intimidating, extortionary, coordinated, or violent bullying. This mandates a parent meeting, a full behavioural review, and the implementation of a safety plan.
- Three Strikes: Continued behaviour results in formal suspension alongside compulsory behavioural intervention programs.
- Four Strikes: Maximum consequences are applied, resulting in expulsion, permanent transfer, or alternative supervised education.
Crucially, the framework allows victims' parents to waive strikes during mediation if they deem it safe to do so.
Why is federal intervention needed in school bullying?
McCann argues that the current system relies too heavily on passive awareness campaigns and fragmented state policies. After sharing her son's story, she received hundreds of messages from parents across Australia describing severe bullying, ignored complaints, and a lack of independent avenues for recourse.