How many of your readers have ever been in charge of a classroom of children with what are euphemistically referred to as "challenging behaviours"?

Yet we have seen a principal's career ruined over a teacher's desire to keep the children in her care safe from harm. That's the real issue here and it's either been ignored or danced around as being too sensitive.

The unfortunate child who was put into an enclosed space on a single occasion had previously attacked classmates and his teacher; had any of the other children been seriously injured the teacher and principal would have been in very serious trouble.

Isolating the child would have been a last resort, employed to protect the child as well as others.

The emotive "cage boy" obsession of the media has been unfair and distorting; teachers and principals do their very best day in and day out to help children with serious conditions who are in their care, in some cases risking physical and psychological harm.

How many members of the general public or media would put their hands up to swap places with these heroic teachers who deserve medals, not criticism?

Steve Ellis, Hackett

What now for the 10-year-old who was locked behind bars at school? What now for all children with disabilities who don't have a voice of their own? What now for our society with leaders at all levels who want to pack off all the people with all the problems they don't want to deal with? Not enough heart and certainly not enough smarts.

Nargis Carnahan, Narrabundah

In the age of "let the managers manage", it doesn't sound unreasonable to sack the school principal for organising the construction of a cage to constrain a reportedly "autistic child". However, what is a child – autistic or otherwise – doing in an ordinary classroom if its behaviour is so uncontrollable that a very experienced teacher, the school principal, is driven to see a cage as the solution?

Why do the teachers in that classroom have to endure the stress of trying to teach while dealing with such behaviour?

And why do that child's classmates have to have their studies disrupted by a child who should clearly be somewhere else?

Having found their scapegoat, Joy Burch and her education director have sloped their shoulders. They shouldn't have. The buck doesn't stop with the principal; it stops with them.

Bronis Dudek, Calwell

Just a suggestion for Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury regarding his comments on police pursuits ("Driver killed in Kambah crash had fled police before", September 8, p2). At our expense, can he please organise a pamphlet outlining what are serious offenses and which drivers, if any, should be pursued?

If a magnet could be attached, it would enable me to make quick reference before deciding whether police assistance is required.

Micke McDevitt, Gordon

The concern of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his colleagues for "the most vulnerable people of Syria" is admirable, and just makes me wonder why the same worry cannot be shown for people we keep locked in detention centres, or the most vulnerable among our citizens, or perhaps Mr Abbott's own sister and others who are waiting for marriage equality. Maybe the government could be convinced that a few of these also could be granted a bit this very selective compassion.

Perhaps at least the Christians? Oh dear, was it Jesus who condemned the hypocrites?

Rev J.R. Huggett, Bruce

Shocked that refugee status is being determined on the basis of whether Syrians are Christians (or some other persecuted minority? What if I told critics that is the reason they are being persecuted.

Fr. Luke Verrell, Calwell

It is outrageous for the Abbott government to agree to permanently resettle 12,000 Syrians when wealthy Arab nations won't take any.

We should focus our charity and compassion on our 100,000 homeless Australians.

Colin Douglas, St Kilda, Vic

Nancy Tidfy (Letters, September 10) agrees we should accept an extra 20,000 genuine Syrian refugees the Greens want us to accept on top of our normal quota.

She also, however, suggests the Greens should push, for the purpose of ecological sustainability, for an equal deduction in the number of skilled migrants we would otherwise poach.

The problem for the Greens is that if they publicly agree with Ms Tidfy they will offend their corporate bedmates who want a surplus of people for financial reasons, even though our current population is way over the level of ecological sustainability.

And if the Greens publicly disagree with her they will be advertising the fact that they do not have a population policy and are in effect supporting the "big Australia" model, and as such care little or nothing about ecological sustainability or the welfare of future generations of Australians.

For those reasons I strongly doubt the Greens will respond to Ms Tidfy's letter, and if they do respond it will probably be a very evasive response.

Rodney Campbell, Ainslie

Good information is the best starting point for developing policy. Thus, Nancy Tidfy would be interested to know that in the 12 months to September 2015 the expected annual intake of skilled migrants to Australia is 37,100.

The Immigration Department's quarterly report "The Outlook for Net Overseas Migration" details the visa classes of immigrants.

The difference between arrivals and departures suggests that many people arriving on a temporary visa later convert to another and stay permanently.

The same report seems to show that Australia is not filling its 13,750 target of refugee places, with just 11,000 expected in the 12 months to September 2015.

Peter Marshall, Captains Flat, NSW

The mention of "the road to Damascus" ("It's not a road to Damascus moment", September 9, p5) prompts me to mention that the events recorded by Saul (aka Paul) in the Acts of the Apostles (9,1-9; 22, 6-11 and 26, 13-20) are "consistent with observations of the Tunguska and Chelyabinsk fireball phenomena, in terms not only of the fireball behaviour, but also in terms of human responses" as described by W. K. Hartmann in Meteoritics and Planetary Science. Volume 50 (3) pp, 368-381 in March, 2015.

S.R. Taylor, Pearce

The Brumbies hope cheaper packages will boost memberships ("Brumbies to remedy membership woes", Sport, September 9, p29). They can count me out, although I've been a member for around 15 years.

Last year my seat in Bay 53 – with no shelter from rain, freezing cold and biting winds – cost $210, with a seniors' concession.

Next season the same seat will cost $320 or 52per cent more because bay 53 is now classed as "gold". Even if I weaken and take out a silver membership at $228 for an inferior seat in another bay, it is still up 8per cent on last year.

Brumbies CEO Michael Jones was quoted in the Times as saying every [membership] category was cheaper than last season. Surely it was a misprint – like his dream of taking membership from 9000 this year to 13,000 in 2016.

Geof Murray, Nicholls

E.R. Moffatt (Letters, August 25) asks why my identity as "a major Liberal Party player in the Kate Carnell years" was not disclosed in this newspaper's article critical of the ACT Government's infill program in inner-south Canberra. For the record, I have never hidden my Liberal connections. I am the longest-serving president of the Canberra Liberals (2000-07) and ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in the 2008 Assembly elections. I am no longer a member of the Canberra Liberals, although I hope to return to the fold one day.

I represent the interests of the inner south as best as I can, without fear or favour. Mr Moffatt may not have seen my comments severely critical of the current federal Liberal government in relation to its neglect of the national capital aspects of Canberra. In the ACT, the ISCCC naturally focuses on the actions and decisions of the incumbent Labor/Greens government although as we get closer to next year's election we will pay more attention to the policies of all parties.

Gary Kent, chairman, Inner South Canberra Community Council

Why pay the fine, Doug Hodgson (Letters, September 10)? You should have fought it in court.

Don't pander to these twits. I had a similar case where the plods pulled me up asking if my car was registered. I produced the rego papers, which are in the car glove box at all times whereupon I was asked who "Peter" was. I replied I had no idea. After 15 minutes they came back and admitted my car was the same as "Peter's". To which I replied "does that mean my number is the same too?" I got a disgruntled "drive safely". I already was! So if you are in the right and have done nothing wrong, fight it.

V. Harris, Yass, NSW

In a letter, characteristic of many on the topic of light rail, Peter Tricket (Letters, September 9) requested the government "put it to the vote", ie, have a referendum. But in our current system of government we have already had a vote, and we chose the elected member. So whenever this member's views differ, the cry is "referendum".

Perhaps there should be a referendum on whether there should be a referendum.

Jack Palmer, Watson

TO HE POINT

IT HELPS TO BE SYRIAN

Imagine a refugee who has been in detention off our coast for two years saying "I'm very pleased for the Syrians, but envious; it seems that they are being officially helped to jump the queue and welcomed".

Malcolm Whyte, Weston

DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN

Take your pick of any subject: Just when it seems it can't get worse, it does!

Sue Schreiner, Red Hill

SCHOOL SOLUTION NEEDED

In all the reports I have seen about the "cage scandal" at the unnamed Canberra school, there have been no suggestions at all as to what a school should do in the case of a child who is "physically abusive toward both his teacher and other students".

A.V. Peterson, Kambah

IT'S EASY TO LAY BLAME

If the ACT Education Directorate had provided the appropriate support for the special needs student, that the school principal would not have had to resort to the desperate measures. It's always easier to blame someone trying to manage at the "coal face" than to take responsibility for failing to adequately support students with difficulties.

E.M. Barker, Ainslie

ADVERTS OUT OF PLACE

I wholeheartedly support those campaigning against ads promoting military activities at the airport. Recently, while there, I was watching the ever-changing mobile ads. I was appalled by the juxtaposition of ads promoting the beauty of the Snowy Mountains with a picture of a drone looming large. It would be ludicrously funny if it were not so.

Katie Lubbe, Yarralumla

MATILDA'S PAY EQUALITY

Do the Matildas receive the same rates of pay as the Socceroos? If not, why not? David Gallop, please explain.

Felicity Rafferty, Deakin

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).