56 School Days Without School - Austin Is Still Waiting 💙

Austin’s petition has now reached 404 verified signatures. Thankyou! 💙 We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has signed, shared and supported our beautiful boy.

Austin has now missed 56 school days since he last attended on 20 May 2026.

He is safe and loved at home, but home is not school. At 11 years old and completely non-verbal, Austin needs the right support to return safely.

We have offered to provide and pay for a parent-selected 1:1 support person ourselves. We are not asking the school or the Department of Education Victoria to fund it.

His matter has been escalated to Central Office (by me) within the Department of Education Victoria, but we are still waiting to be advised that an officer or reviewer has been allocated.

We are not fighting to keep Austin out of school. We are fighting to get him back into it.

At school, Austin experienced incidents that left him distressed and unsafe, including a serious toilet-related issue, several pairs of broken spectacles, and being taken on community access trips without my permission. We were also not told where he was being taken. As Austin is completely non-verbal, he cannot explain what happened or tell us where he has been.

These incidents are why we are asking for appropriate safeguards, clear communication and a parent-selected 1:1 support person before he returns. We hope our beautiful son can return to school safely, with the level of care and support he needs. 💙

Please keep signing and sharing. Every day matters.

With love, 

Austin’s mum x