I'VE BEEN PUSHED TO MY LIMITS
AND NOW I'VE HAD A GUTFUL!
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: l have recently been contacted by the legal representative for the Department of Education Victoria, demanding this website and another (https://rebelwithacause.com.au) are to be removed in their entirety. I have been threatened with possible legal action and/or complaints to the eSafety Commissioner.
Whilst l do regard the correspondence l have received as being quite intimidating, I do not intend to buckle to the threats and intimidation tactics l am currently being exposed to, as such both of my websites will remain live and available to the public.... Unless my right to freedom of expression is somehow taken from me???
My name is Peter Charleton, single dad to my courageous, intelligent and very beautiful daughter who is now 13 years old. l once again (now) have equal and shared custody/parental responsibilities for my daughter, but his 50/50 shared arrangement was completely derailed and destroyed for almost 12 months, largely due to the misconduct, wrongdoings and/or inability of Teachers/Schools to remain impartial to parents involved in Family Law matters/disputes.
In this website l will reveal some of the wrongdoings that my daughter and/or myself have been subjected to. These events and incidents include but are not limited to,
- Teachers being untruthful,
- Teachers publicly defaming a parent (me),
- Teachers and Schools acting in a biased manner against a parent (me),
- Teachers telling untruths in letters submitted into evidence for Federal Circuit Court matters,
- Teachers making derogatory statements they are not qualified to make,
- Teachers ignoring reasonable requests of a parent,
- Teachers/Schools assisting one parent over the other,
- Teachers/Schools failure to adhere to Education (DETV/DET) Policy/Codes of Conduct,
- Teachers/Schools providing incorrect/false advice, and more!
I will also reveal how the Officialdom of the Victorian Education Department responded in what l believe to be a deplorable manner.
I believe many of my complaint/s to Regional Managers and DETV/DET have been mishandled, largely Ignored, dismissed and/or misunderstood. From the Top Down (and in-between) the treatment my daughter and l have experienced, combined with the DETV/DET response to date has been disgusting!
The contents of this website include facts that are (or can be) supported by evidence, as well as my own personal views and opinions. "IF ANY INDIVIDUAL MENTIONED IN THIS WEBSITE FEELS THEY HAVE BEEN WRONGED, PLEASE SEEK YOUR OWN LEGAL ADVICE AND DO AS YOU BELIEVE FIT"
PUBLIC SERVANTS who have EARNED a mention
Melanie Jacobs
Primary School Teacher
Dixons Creek Primary,
Gilson College.
Barbara Darling
Dixons Creek Primary,
Warburton Primary.
Debbie Haddow
Primary School Vice/Assistant Principal
Langwarrin Park Primary.
Vicki Hammond
Principal Lawyer and Manager Victorian Department of Education and Training.
James Merlino
Terry Bennett
Former Victorian Education Department Manager, for the North East Region.
Presently I remain subject to what l shall call a "GAG ORDER" which means l cannot necessarily reveal absolutely everything here and now. However, l will endeavor to reveal as much as possible, especially the wrongful actions of those associated with the Victorian Department of Education.
This website has been published, but it is a "Work in Progress" There is plenty to be uploaded including but not limited to, copies of letters, documents and emails, as well as my own commentary, explanations and opinions.
Picture tells 1000 words
This picture was taken in November 2020, which was about a month before the injustice begun... The sheer happiness of my daughter is clearly displayed in her beautiful eyes and by her gorgeous smile.
Neither my daughter or l had any idea of what was happening behind our backs. We were both oblivious to what two schools and various teachers were doing to wrongfully assist with a gross injustice.
NOTE TO THOSE INVOLED: This is what you people assisted in halting... A father and a daughter with not a care in the world, enjoying life, loving each other's presence and company.
THE DO GOODER TEACHERS SHOULD LOOK INTO MY DAUGHTER'S EYES... AND SEE FOR THEMSELVE'S THE PAIN & DISTRESS THEY HELPED CAUSE!
The facetime photo (screenshot) was taken in April 2021 which was during the period my daughter and l were only getting every second weekend together. The sadness in my daughter's eyes was heartbreakingly obvious at the time. These images, memories and thoughts still break my heart today.
What the Schools and Teachers did to my daughter and I, is something that l will never be able to forget nor forgive.
MELANIE JACOBSYou have LIED!
Made claims you were not qualified to make,
Violated VET Code of Conduct & Policies,
Ignored reasonable requests of a parent,
Participated in Gossip,
Made Defamatory comments in the public domain, verbally and on social media,
Ms Jacobs, l now regard you as a terrible example for a teacher and a horrible person.
BARBARA DARLINGWhat a slimy character you turned out to be.
l contacted you about the Ms Jacobs Letter and her Conduct generally.
You claimed to not know anything about the letter etc.
It was later learned you was in it up to your neck!
Not just participating in Gossip, but driving it!
Also, you were going to submit a letter of your own, for the Federal Court, but you decided against it after Ms Jacobs had been caught out.
DEBBIE HADDOWApologies for not having your cartoon just yet... It is coming, l promise.
Your review is also coming soon, it will include your decision to allow my daughter to attend your school without my permission, authority or even my knowledge.
l will talk about how you stated your school did NOT offer part time enrolments... Of course, we now know that such statement was in breach of VET Policy!
And plenty more! (Camp, Unreturned calls, etc)
My daughter had been a full-time student of the Dixons Creek Primary School since "Prep/Foundation" but due to some difficulties my daughter was experiencing at school, the decision was made to register her with the VRQA for home schooling and continue to attend the Dixons Creek Primary School but only an ad-hoc/part-time basis.
Like (too) many families these days, my relationship broke down and ended in early April 2020. Initially things were reasonably amicable, which was helpful for my one and only child (daughter) from this failed relationship. My daughter continued to be home schooled throughout 2020 while also attending Dixons Creek Primary part-time.
In December of 2020 things really began to change, somehow i was denied from having any access to my daughter, not seeing my daughter from 4th December 2020 until late afternoon of 25th December 2020. It was during this period of time that Victorian Registered Teachers (Jacobs and Darling) begun to act in a manner which conflicted with numerous Victorian Education Department Policies, including but not limited to breaching parental dispute policy by ceasing to be impartial, unnecessarily becoming involved in parental family law matters and supporting/assisting one parent over the other.
In short, my position is clear! Several Victorian Registered Primary School Teachers did breach Education Department Policy, most of those breaches negatively impacted upon my Family Law matters, with some being catastrophic to my chances of success in the Family Court. Further, the wrongful actions of various teachers were considered (by me) to be an unreasonable, unjustified and unnecessary attack on me as both a father and an individual, impacting upon my mental health in a significant and harmful manner.
It was three Victorian Primary School Teachers (Melanie Jacobs, Barbara Darling and Debbie Haddow) whose actions and/or decisions prejudiced my Family Law matter.
Dixons Creek Primary School Teacher Ms Jacobs, Dixons Creek Principal Barbara Darling and, Langwarrin Park Primary School Deputy/Vice Principal Debbie Haddow, along with the schools they represent, destroyed my legal standing, taking a proceeding from one which l would have otherwise likely been victorious, to a case which l could not win.
NOBODY HAS APOLOGISED! Instead, teachers, schools and department have been ignorant, evasive, and/or dismissive in dealing with my reasonable requests for answers.
Considering the wrongdoers make a living from "Teaching Kids" perhaps they need reminding of the importance of Honesty, Accountability, Integrity and Respect, because from my experience you all appear to be severely lacking.
MELANIE JACOBS
Below is a copy of Melanie Jacobs 12th January 2021 letter. At the time of her writing, Jacobs was in full knowledge that the letter would be submitted as evidence for the Family Law Court Proceedings, for which l was to be the Respondent (father).
Education Department Policy requires teachers to remain impartial and to refrain from becoming involved in parental disputes. Further, teachers are not to involve themselves in family law matters (unless subpoenaed to provide evidence).
I have many issues with Jacobs letter, most of which are underlined, then on the right-hand side l have commented using the corresponding colour.
In short, Jacobs had no right nor any authority to author and provide such a letter. Many of the claims and statements made by Jacobs were false and/or baseless. Further, Jacobs speaks (writes the letter) as if she knew my daughter exceptionally well, but JACOBS WAS NEVER THE FULL-TIME TEACHER for my daughter, hence l say "Jacobs did
BARBARA DARLING
Below is the letter l received on 22nd January 2021 from the Dixons Creek Primary School Principal Barbara Darling. This letter was in response to the complaint l made against Melanie Jacobs 12th January 2021 letter.
Principal Darling attempts to distance herself, the school and the department from any knowledge and/or association with the Jacobs letter. However, Darling fails to explain why the Jacobs letter was signed off as "Melanie Jacobs Dixons Creek Primary School".
Darling provides a number of generalised statements along with a web-link to an applicable DETV policy, yet Darling fails to acknowledge that Jacobs had acted inappropriately and/or had violated any policies.
It appears that Darling was not taking Jacobs wrongful actions and breaches of Education Department Victoria Policy seriously. Instead, the letter attempts to provide a response to my complaint without making any admissions or adequate apology.
MELANIE JACOBS
On top of the 12th January 2021 letter that Melanie Jacobs had wrongfully authored and provided for use as evidence in Family Court matters, there was one other act which caused me significant distress and embarrassment.
For context, from 4th December 2020 l was denied and prevented from having my daughter. This was a massive change from previously having my daughter each alternate week (7 days with, then 7 days without). The 8th of December 2020 was my daughter's "Double Digits" 10th birthday.... something my daughter had been looking forward to for many weeks prior.
Jacobs was aware that my daughter was not being permitted to see me, Jacobs was also aware of my daughter's 10th birthday. Presumably Jacobs would have known or at least SHOULD have realised how upset my daughter was at this particular time of her life.
Jacobs was aware that my daughter was not being permitted to see me, Jacobs was also aware of my daughter's 10th birthday. Presumably Jacobs would have known or at least SHOULD have realised how upset my daughter was at this particular time of her life.
Jacobs thought it was appropriate to make her own inflammatory PUBLIC comments on a highly inflammatory Facebook Post targeting me. Despite everything that was going on around and upsetting my daughter, Jacobs made comments which implied that my daughter was being put first, even though she was being prevented from seeing her dad/me at that very same time.
Below is a screenshot of Melanie Jacobs Facebook comment. Jacobs (as a Victorian school teacher) is required to adhere to all Victorian Education Department policy, including but not limited to policy which stipulates that teachers MUST remain impartial and MUST NOT involve themselves in parental disputes. It is my position that Jacobs Facebook comments are in violation of various Education Department policies. Further, how is it that Jacobs can make a public comment to suggest my daughter was being PUT FIRST? especially given the trauma my daughter was experiencing from being prevented from seeing her dad (me).
BARBARA DARLING
Back to the former Principal of Dixons Creek Primary, Barbara Darling. As mentioned earlier in this webpage, Barbara Darling was exposed (by Melanie Jacobs) for initiating GOSSIP SESSIONS with teachers (and others) questioning the relationship between myself and my daughter. This school principal (Darling) was engaging in gossip/chit chat, voicing her alleged concerns about a parent/child relationship, yet this same school principal NEVER ONCE raised any of her alleged concerns with me, nor did this school principal take her concerns to any authority for investigation. In short, Barbara Darling was way out of line, in breach of numerous Education Department policies AND was actively involved in undermining me as a father, whilst also damaging my reputation as an individual.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!... As discussed earlier in this webpage, my daughter was enrolled as a part-time student with the Dixons Creek Primary School. However, from 4 December of 2020 my daughter was prevented from seeing me and during this period my daughter was (somehow) permitted to attend the Langwarrin Park Primary School for the final week of the 2020 school year. Victorian Education Department policy requires permission of both parents for a child to be enrolled and/or to attend a new school... My permission was NEVER SOUGHT nor was it ever given!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!... As discussed earlier in this webpage, my daughter was enrolled as a part-time student with the Dixons Creek Primary School. However, from 4 December of 2020 my daughter was prevented from seeing me and during this period my daughter was (somehow) permitted to attend the Langwarrin Park Primary School for the final week of the 2020 school year. Victorian Education Department policy requires permission of both parents for a child to be enrolled and/or to attend a new school... My permission was NEVER SOUGHT nor was it ever given!
Further, when a child moves from one school to another, the school a child is leaving is required to provide the new school with what is called a TRANSFER NOTE. I have lost count of how many times i have formally requested a copy of this so-called TRANSFER NOTE, needless to say it has never been provided to me.
As to why i have requested a copy of the transfer note, well quite simply l would like to be able to confirm if the required and relevant information was ever passed on from Dixons Creek Primary to Langwarrin Park Primary, because the transfer note should have informed and alerted Langwarrin Park Primary that my daughter was enrolled with the VRQA for home-schooling.
Given that Principal Barbara Darling NEVER contacted me at any stage before or during the period that my daughter was moved from one school to another, it would seem that Darling was not particularly concerned that i was being kept in the dark on all of the things that were occurring behind my back. It is my position that Barbara Darling was intent on assisting one parent over the other, with me being the parent that was being undermined and harmed in that process.
Given that Principal Barbara Darling NEVER contacted me at any stage before or during the period that my daughter was moved from one school to another, it would seem that Darling was not particularly concerned that i was being kept in the dark on all of the things that were occurring behind my back. It is my position that Barbara Darling was intent on assisting one parent over the other, with me being the parent that was being undermined and harmed in that process.
DEBBIE HADDOW
Haddow was a teacher and deputy or assistant principal at Langwarrin Park Primary School during the period of my concerns.
My initial concern relates to the fact that Haddow was one of the Langwarrin Park Primary School staff who assisted and enabled my daughter to attend that school for the final week of the 2020 school year, WITHOUT the REQUIRED PERMISSION of myself. The decision of Haddow (and possibly others) at LPPS had catastrophic consequences for myself (and my daughter) in that my legal standing, for the choice of school dispute heard in the Family Law Courts, was destroyed. To elaborate, the Family Court consider the most recently attended school to be the most appropriate school for a child to remain.
Haddow was also very difficult to get straight answers from, l do not know how many times l requested a copy of the "Transfer Note" only to be ignored time and time again, eventually Haddow did respond by telling me to make an application through the Freedom of Information channels. Whilst FOI requests are often the way one must go to get copies of documents, the Department of Education Policy did and does allow schools to provide copies of "Transfer Notes" to parents, without the need for going down the Freedom of Information path. To that end, Haddow was seemingly trying to hide something or plain and simply not willing to assist in the provision of said transfer note.
My initial concern relates to the fact that Haddow was one of the Langwarrin Park Primary School staff who assisted and enabled my daughter to attend that school for the final week of the 2020 school year, WITHOUT the REQUIRED PERMISSION of myself. The decision of Haddow (and possibly others) at LPPS had catastrophic consequences for myself (and my daughter) in that my legal standing, for the choice of school dispute heard in the Family Law Courts, was destroyed. To elaborate, the Family Court consider the most recently attended school to be the most appropriate school for a child to remain.
Haddow was also very difficult to get straight answers from, l do not know how many times l requested a copy of the "Transfer Note" only to be ignored time and time again, eventually Haddow did respond by telling me to make an application through the Freedom of Information channels. Whilst FOI requests are often the way one must go to get copies of documents, the Department of Education Policy did and does allow schools to provide copies of "Transfer Notes" to parents, without the need for going down the Freedom of Information path. To that end, Haddow was seemingly trying to hide something or plain and simply not willing to assist in the provision of said transfer note.
I do intend to provide more insight into by troubled and difficult experiences with Haddow in the weeks and months ahead, but there is much to cover and l want to devote some time to several other public servants who have done me wrong. As a bit of a teaser (so to speak) i will be adding text and copies of correspondence to demonstrate what l believe to be examples of Haddow's incompetence or dishonesty, possibly both.
TERRY BENNETT
At the time of my complaints about teacher conduct it was Terry Bennett who held the role as North-East Regional Manager for Victorian Education Department, hence my initial correspondence was sent/forwarded to Bennett.
My main issue with Bennett relates to the fact that much of my correspondence was dismissed and/or ignored, often not ever receiving a response to various complaints and/or requests. As an example, l did request that the department issue me with a formal letter, distancing the Department from the 12 January 2021 letter by Jacobs. I also sought Bennett's assistance in having Jacobs retract the baseless statements/claims contained in her 12 January letter. However, neither Bennett or the Department ever provided any of the assistance l had sought.
Further, Bennett failed to investigate and/or respond to a number of my complaints. Whilst l do remain disappointed with the efforts (or lack of) from Bennett, his failures are not overly important to me, instead it is the initiators of the wrongdoings that l am most concerned, hurt and frustrated by.... i.e Jacobs, Darling and Haddow.
My main issue with Bennett relates to the fact that much of my correspondence was dismissed and/or ignored, often not ever receiving a response to various complaints and/or requests. As an example, l did request that the department issue me with a formal letter, distancing the Department from the 12 January 2021 letter by Jacobs. I also sought Bennett's assistance in having Jacobs retract the baseless statements/claims contained in her 12 January letter. However, neither Bennett or the Department ever provided any of the assistance l had sought.
Further, Bennett failed to investigate and/or respond to a number of my complaints. Whilst l do remain disappointed with the efforts (or lack of) from Bennett, his failures are not overly important to me, instead it is the initiators of the wrongdoings that l am most concerned, hurt and frustrated by.... i.e Jacobs, Darling and Haddow.
VICKI HAMMOND
Similar to Terry Bennett, my disappointment and frustration with Vicki Hammond is less than what l have with Jacobs, Darling and Haddow. However, as Hammond also let me down i believe it important that i share my experience as it is an important part of the whole story.
At the time of my dealings with Hammond she held a role with the "Legal Division" for the Department of Education and Training Victoria. I believe my first interaction with Hammond involved an email l received from her on 20th October 2021.
Hammond emailed me (20-10-2021) advising that she was tasked with providing a me with a formal response to my earlier correspondence to Merlino and the Education Department. Hammond stated that she would provide that response "SOON".
Hammond emailed me (20-10-2021) advising that she was tasked with providing a me with a formal response to my earlier correspondence to Merlino and the Education Department. Hammond stated that she would provide that response "SOON".
Fast forward a couple of months and l had NOT received the promised response from Hammond, so l began to send emails to Hammond asking that she promptly provide that response. Email after email, request after request... I lost count how many times l emailed Hammond to ask for the long overdue response. On 9th February 2022 l finally got that response.
Below is a screen shot of the 20 October 2021 email l received from Vicki Hammond.
Below is a screen shot of the 9 February 2022 email l received from Vicki Hammond.
The file attached to the aforementioned (above) email from Hammond claimed among other things that Hammond had issued the promised and repeatedly requested response many weeks earlier. It was claimed by Hammond that the response had been previously provided to me on (or around) 27 November 2021.
I knew that l had NEVER received that so called 27 November 2021 response email, hence l regarded Hammonds claim as being a sign of dishonesty and/or incompetence. By email l made Hammond aware of my thoughts and position that no such correspondence was ever received by me and to that end no such correspondence was ever sent to my email address. I repeatedly asked Hammond to check her email "SENT" records and either retract her statement for having issued the email on 27 November 2021 OR provide a copy of the applicable sent email receipts... Hammond did neither!
To this day, it remains my position that Hammond DID NOT send me the 27 November 2021 email as claimed. As to why l never received it l can only speculate, perhaps Hammond intended to send but forgot or maybe she did send it but typed my email address incorrectly, either way it is (in my view) an indication of Hammond's dishonesty or incompetence, possibly even both.
I knew that l had NEVER received that so called 27 November 2021 response email, hence l regarded Hammonds claim as being a sign of dishonesty and/or incompetence. By email l made Hammond aware of my thoughts and position that no such correspondence was ever received by me and to that end no such correspondence was ever sent to my email address. I repeatedly asked Hammond to check her email "SENT" records and either retract her statement for having issued the email on 27 November 2021 OR provide a copy of the applicable sent email receipts... Hammond did neither!
To this day, it remains my position that Hammond DID NOT send me the 27 November 2021 email as claimed. As to why l never received it l can only speculate, perhaps Hammond intended to send but forgot or maybe she did send it but typed my email address incorrectly, either way it is (in my view) an indication of Hammond's dishonesty or incompetence, possibly even both.
One other concern related to Vicki Hammond that l wish to share on this website is the fact that l sent an email with a medical document as completed by my doctor. I regarded the attached file (medical document) to be personal, private and important, hence i expected to receive a reply from Hammond at some point. A little bit further below are 2 x screenshots of my "read-notify" dashboard for that particular email l had sent on 8 June 2022. The first screen shot confirms the email addresses of sender and recipient along with subject title of the email, as well as the first 7 x confirmed openings of said email. The second screenshot is a capture of the final section of the read notify report, this file confirms the email l had sent to Hammond was opened on at least 148 x separate occasions... With this information in hand, the question has to be asked, "Why was so much time invested into an email that was never replied/responded to"?
JAMES MERLINO
During the period i was writing to James Merlino he was the Education Minister, Mental Health Minister and the Deputy Premier. I typically wrote to Merlino in his capacity as Education Minister, but l also included his Department for Mental Health in most of those emails, largely due to the fact that l was struggling "Mentally" and expected the Mental Health Department to assist/handle my correspondence and associated matters appropriately.
While i understand Merlino would have had a lot on his plate, especially given the multiple portfolios he held, along with being the Deputy Premier. However, the portfolios of Education and Mental Health would be among the most important portfolios a minister could have, hence such Ministerial Roles should only be filled by Ministers who have the time and ability to execute the associate duties to a very high standard.
While i understand Merlino would have had a lot on his plate, especially given the multiple portfolios he held, along with being the Deputy Premier. However, the portfolios of Education and Mental Health would be among the most important portfolios a minister could have, hence such Ministerial Roles should only be filled by Ministers who have the time and ability to execute the associate duties to a very high standard.
Among my concerns with Merlino is the fact that he failed to respond to my numerous requests for a meeting... i made the formal request (via email) and followed up with further emails to request a meeting, but neither Merlino or his office ever responded to those requests... I never got a meeting with Merlino, nor did i get an explanation as to why that was the case.
In addition to the above, the other matter which caused me tremendous frustration and disappointment was the failure of Merlino and/or his office to respond appropriately to my email/letter of 1st April 2021. This particular email consisted of several pages, with the most important information contained in page 1 and part of page 2 of said email.
In this email l made it crystal clear that l was struggling with my mental health. I made it clear that my terrible experiences with teachers and departmental staff were largely to blame (in my opinion) for my poor mental state. I also included a self-descriptive photograph of numerous prescription medications i had in my possession. Despite what most would regard as alarming contents of my email and the apparent need for urgent action/intervention, Merlino and his office DID NOTHING that l was ever made aware of.
Despite the medications l had in my possession likely being enough to put a dozen elephants to sleep, combined with my written words to indicate distress, suffering and struggles, the Minister for Mental Health and his office failed to act in any way, let alone appropriately.
I have included a screen capture of what l regard as the most important aspects of said email below.
For the sake of completeness l will include a screen shot of the "Read Notify" report for the 1st April 2021 email l sent to Merlino. The screen shot (below) confirms that my email was opened on at least 5 x separate occasions. In my opinion it appears that the said email was quickly dismissed (ignored) by a staff member of Merlino's office.
CHECK BACK SOON, MORE SHORTLY