Banning aggro parents from schools is a good move. But don’t stop there

March 23, 2026 — 7:30pm

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I have been that pain-in-the-arse parent. I’ve been the one running up to school complaining about what I saw as unfairness towards my perfect angel child. (Turns out, in my defence, it was unfair. The newish teacher had no real idea how to mark against the criteria.)

But explaining to a new teacher how to mark assignments is not the real reason – or even the only reason – there are new rules which will allow principals across systems to ban parents from schools.

Look, it’s possible the real reason is this. Parents are mad and getting madder. They are angry and violent. Their respect for authority is minimal. They are putting teachers at risk. And you should see their kids. Mind-blowing.

Maybe that’s why the Minns government plans to give principals power to ban adults who threaten or abuse students, staff, or other community members. That ban will exclude those adults from school grounds and from school-related activities like sport. These new powers will apply to every single school in every single system.

It’s weird, though. Principals already have those powers. The unusually named Inclosed Lands Act has meant parents or other adults could be kept out of schools for behaviour that was threatening or violent. These new School Community Safety Orders and Protection Orders will also include phone, email and social media.

What are the kids........

© The Sydney Morning Herald