Ms Thompson said she worried about what her children saw outside while they were at school.
“I know that’s one of my concerns ... I can’t control what they’re seeing out of that fence because I’m at work.”
She had not been planning to enrol her children at Richmond West Primary but was “blown away” by its bilingual immersion program featuring Mandarin.
“It is the best school in the area ... It is offering what other schools aren’t offering in the state.”
In a school newsletter,principal Tip Kennedy did not directly address recent incidents,but she thanked parents “for the messages of support during a challenging week”.
“From its establishment almost 50 years ago,Richmond West has existed for its community and has responded to changes in that community. I am proud we continue to support our multiculturally and socioeconomically diverse families in a complex environment,” she said.
Richmond West Primary School told an independent review there were fewer discarded needles and overdoses in its vicinity during the initial trial phase. Enrolments at the school have gone up every year,MySchools data shows,and its NAPLAN results improved more than the average school between 2017 and 2019.
Another school parent,who did not want to be identified for her children’s sake,said she understood drug use could be confronting.
But she said she had not been scared or threatened,and the debate was creating unnecessary fear.
“We should talk about it and discuss it. But I don’t think we should be scared. And if we’re scared of people,I think that creates a horrible atmosphere to think that people are inherently dangerous,” said the mother,who has a son and daughter at the school.
Parent Neil Mallet said he felt a level of “unknown risk” for his two sons at the school.
“They’ve seen fornicating,defecating,urinating,drug taking,swearing,fighting,abuse,oral sex being performed,needles,vomit,in no particular order,on no particular day ... and now it culminates with a dead body,” he said.
He said it was wrong to argue the facility saved lives,because it could have achieved that elsewhere in North Richmond.
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Ms Collocott,who acknowledged it had been a “very,very difficult” few weeks for everyone,said she worked closely with the school and local community.
“I can certainly acknowledge and hear the concerns of those parents and residents. And I’m certainly committed to working with them. I’ve also spoken to other residents and parents who are in strong support of the[facility],including its location.”
An independent review last year estimated the facility had saved at least 21 lives in 18 months.
A government spokesman said:“The safe injecting room is saving lives and changing lives – and addressing a problem the North Richmond community has struggled with for decades.”
More than 5000 clients had registered with the facility up to December last year,and more than 200,000 injections and 4000 overdoses have been managed. More than 200 people have begun opioid treatment through the clinic.
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