‘Unrapeable’: shocking list of private school students

Four boys from a Melbourne private school have been suspended after posting a list on social media grading their classmates, in what the school described as “disgraceful”.

The shocking list was posted by Year 11 students at Yarra Valley Grammar School in Ringwood on Discord and was discovered by the school last Wednesday.

It featured photos of female students and ranked them from best to worst as “wives”, “cute”, “average”, “object”, “get out” and “unrapable”.

Nine reported that the students were suspended from work on Friday pending further investigation.

Yarra Valley Grammar principal Mark Merry spoke to Nine on Sunday and described the post as “disgraceful”.

“Mutual respect is in the DNA of this school, so it was a shock not only for us… but it was a shock for the entire class and the boys in the class who saw it as very, very out of the norm,” he said.

He said he was offended by the last category and has since reported the matter to police to ensure the list is not linked to any crime.

“As a father, I find this absolutely outrageous, disgraceful and offensive. As director, I have to make some decisions about what we will do with all this,” he said.

“My first thought and concern is the well-being of the girls involved. I want to make sure they feel confident and supported by the school.”

“We will be consulting with the police as the language used may pose a threat.

“I don’t think that was the case but we need to get further advice on that… I hope it was an appalling error in judgment.”

It costs about $30,000 a year to send a student to the elite private school in Ringwood, and Dr. Merry said the school prides itself on teaching “respectful relationships.”

“We are acutely aware of the broader issues around respect for women… we really need to make every effort to ensure that young men understand their responsibilities and the boundaries of how they should behave,” he said.

Speaking to Channel 9 Today on Monday, Dr Merry said the incident was “disgraceful”.

“My initial reaction was just horror that someone could do such a cruel thing and use such a degrading approach to any of our students,” Dr Merry told Channel 9’s Today programme.

“This goes against everything this school is about. I think the culture here is one of respect and we care about each other. We care about each other.

“There is a lot of anger. There is a lot of pain. There’s a lot of anxiety at school and I have to get us through it. “I must try to take care of, first and foremost, the young women who are targeted. This is my first concern. I must also hold those responsible accountable.”

Dr Merry said parents of the students who committed the offense were “horrified”.

“They were surprised that something like this could happen,” he added. “They were shocked that such attitudes could be expressed. That’s why we’re all shocked here.

“I think it was a shock that something like this could happen here. If it can happen here. Yes, it can happen anywhere.”

Dr. Merry said the school was still determining who was “primarily responsible” for the position, but had suspended students pending an investigation.

“It really strikes me to the core that any of our young people that we truly value could be treated this way,” he said.

“As a community, we must acknowledge the fact that these cruel attitudes exist… it is up to all of us to grapple with it.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the displays of sexism showed the need for better courses on respectful relationships in schools.

“It’s disgusting and terrifying. I’m glad the students were suspended,” Clare said Monday.

“This shows that there is still a lot to do. This is a task not only for schools, but also for parents and political leaders like me.

“Part of this is providing funding to schools across the country for respectful relationships and consent courses. I’m currently signing agreements with all the states and territories, and that means about $77 million that will be distributed across the country.”

Help is available from the National Sexual Violence Service, Domestic Violence Guide on 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).