Police and education chiefs today urged principals at more than 2200 government schools to call a dedicated hotline if they suspect extremist behaviour.
The memo headed “Advice for Principals - Anti-social and extremist behaviours” was co-signed by Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn and the deputy secretary of school operations and performance Gregory Prior.
It follows Premier Mike Baird’s announcement of a sweeping audit of prayer groups across the state school system amid fears they have been infiltrated by Islamic State-inspired ideology.
The moves come after revelations that counterterrorism police were investigating an Epping Boys High School student preaching extremist Islamic views in the playground.
Principals have been advised to report any concerns to the department’s safety and security directorate on the dedicated hotline number 1300 363 778.
The safety and security directorate has seconded police officers who work with the NSW Police Force to help protect staff and students in schools.
In their letter Ms Burn and Mr Prior said the department and the Police Force had “recently agreed to reinforce and strengthen their joint protocols around anti-social behaviour particularly as they relate to the area of extremist behaviours”.
Principals were told police defined extremist behaviour as a “willingness to use violence or support the use of violence by others to promote a political, ideological or religious goal”.
“All reported incidents will be investigated by the NSW Police Force to determine an appropriate response,” Ms Burn and Mr Prior said.
Investigators are looking into whether the Year 12 student at the Epping school was trying to influence other boys to adopt his extremist views.
The student, who is of Afghan heritage, is close to Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai, an alleged Sydney jihadist in custody awaiting trial on a string of charges, including the near-fatal shooting of a man outside a gay club in Rydalmere and a ram-raid at Macquarie Shopping Centre.
NSW schools would not be a place where extremist views could flourish, Mr Baird said.
“Our schools should be, and are, havens of tolerance, places where students can explore the reaches of imagination and knowledge,” he said.
“We will never allow them to become the setting for extremist ideologies.”
Deputy opposition leader Linda Burney said while she welcomed Mr Baird’s announcement, the government’s response was “flat-footed”.
“It needs to be made clear whether the premier is talking about all prayer groups and religious instruction in schools or is he specifically talking about Islamic prayer groups,” she told AAP.
“If it’s all religious instruction, the review would be extremely difficult because it would be huge. You would have to ask who’s going to do it and how much it’s going to cost.”
If there was an issue with Islamic radicalisation in schools, the government needed to work with the Muslim community to provide a specific response, she said.
“I want to know where there are Islamic prayer groups being offered in schools and what sort of oversight is in place,” she said.
The NSW Department of Education and NSW Police Force have issued a memorandum for school principals to reinforce their obligation to report information.
“Our schools, our police and other authorities are operating in a new and different world, as far as risks to our young people are concerned,” Mr Baird said.
“These new risks mean that, collectively, we are going to have to be vigilant, and take action as necessary.”