There have been decades of violence and poor educational outcomes at an outback town's only high school, but applications to attend other nearby schools are being rejected.
Walgett Community College in north-west NSW has struggled with consistently poor engagement levels and low numbers of students finishing HSC each year.
Ninety-eight per cent of enrolled students are Indigenous.
Residents are urging the government to give their children more choice so they can build a strong foundation for the future and stop slipping through the cracks.
Walgett mum Rebecca Trindall said she was devastated an application for her children to attend school in Lightning Ridge, 74 kilometres away, was rejected.
"There are issues out here, we've been saying it until we're blue in the face," she said.
"It's not just me ... we're asking for a choice."
She said education was everything.
"I firmly believe that, my children firmly believe that," she said.
"We haven't got it right."
Student application rejected
The Gomeroi woman's teenage daughters left Walgett Community College after developing anxiety following the stress of lockdowns — a measure implemented when fights between students broke out.
They are now learning at home via distance education.
"My middle child Felicity suffered anxiety attacks," Ms Trindall said.
She said there was an incident when all the windows were shattered in her youngest child's classroom when she was in Year 7.
"That obviously affected her," she said.
"That school is a place she doesn’t want to be."
Although her children were willing to make the 150-kilometre round trip every day for quality education, their "out-of-area" application was rejected last month due to school zoning restrictions.
Ms Trindall was devastated and said the community deserved better.
She was concerned the systemic issues with education were enabling generations of disadvantage to perpetuate.
"My girls still struggle and strive to get back to where they need to be, at a normal standard," she said.
"I'm tired, I'm really over it, I'm sick of it."
Local MP demands change
Barwon MP Roy Butler said he had called on state Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and the NSW Department of Education to give families options, including access to schools in nearby towns.
"The Walgett Community College over decades has faced challenges with staffing, incidents of very unfortunate violence on campus," Mr Butler said.
"A lot of things have happened that have led to the school being — in many ways — not providing the educational experience we want for young people."
He said it had reached a critical point.
"Sending children to Lightning Ridge daily obviously isn't ideal but if that means they can get a higher standard of education then I think that should be allowed," he said.
Mr Butler supported making Walgett Community College a "bypass school" as a short-term solution to help children access other schools, with possible funding support.
"I think while Walgett Community College can't provide the educational outcomes in line with similar places in the bush, anything that can be done to provide a good education to these kids should be put on the table," Mr Butler said.
"Even if it was a resourcing issue, with the amount of money that's been put into Walgett Community College over the years but hasn't delivered the results we want, surely a little additional resourcing into a school that's working well to grow their capacity to take a couple of kids would be a good investment from government."
The Walgett community has long stressed the importance of having quality education in the town they love.
"We have to be really careful about the kids who go to school in Walgett," Mr Butler said.
"We can't leave the situation as it is with the outcomes they’ve been getting.
Committed to improving outcomes
The NSW Education Department said there were strict policies to oversee school performance and out of area enrolments.
"Policies and procedures are in place to help schools meet their obligation ... that every student has a place at their local school," a spokesperson said.
"When a school receives an application for an out of area enrolment, the enrolment panel will consider this in line with our policies and the department's enrolment procedures.
"We understand that not everyone’s circumstances are the same, and there are some instances where exceptional circumstances will need to be considered."
The spokesperson said the department had a zero-violence policy and was committed to improving outcomes at Walgett.
"The staff and students of Walgett Community College have the full support of the department, which has been, and continues to work closely with the school leadership and local Aboriginal community, to provide a high-quality education to children and young people at the school," the spokesperson said.
