A Tauranga Girls' College student is expelled after she forced her way into a classroom, pushed a teacher out of the way and allegedly assaulted another girl.
A parent has contacted SunLive expressing concern about the incident, saying she believes there is a 'bullying situation” at the school.
The parent, who does not want to be identified, is also worried about how the school handled the incident.
Police were called to investigate the alleged assault, which was witnessed last week by a class of Year 13 students.
Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens says it was the result of an argument between two groups of girls.
She says the aggressor was outside the Year 13 classroom, demanded to go in, but was stopped by the female teacher.
The student pushed the teacher out of the way and allegedly assaulted the girl.
'It has been dealt with through the board of trustees and through the usual discipline system,” says Pauline.
The aggressor was suspended and later expelled.
Pauline denies her school has a 'bullying situation”.
'I think it's really important for people to understand what that word ‘bullying' actually means.
'It is prolonged, targeted and inappropriate attention over a period of time.
'A one-off incident when someone loses their temper is not considered bullying and it's distressing when that happens and we absolutely don't tolerate it – but once it has happened you just have to deal with it through your normal discipline procedures.”
The parent who contacted SunLive also says the school told parents not to contact police or media, which Pauline says is 'absolute, absolute rubbish”.
She says the student who was allegedly assaulted did not have visible injuries and did not require medical attention.
'We have to have a safe community here and we take appropriate action,” says Pauline.
15 comments
TGC bullying
Posted on 17-06-2011 12:41 | By South
Pauline Cowans and her staff have ignored the bullying issue for years despite reporting ongoing instances of physical assault. The wet bus ticket they use as punishment does nothing. The problem will never go away until assault on students by students is treated for exactly what it is by the school AND the Police - illegal assault. Adults end up in court for it, start doing the same for kids and not the namby pamby FGC garbage version of teenage justice. If they can commit an adult crime they can face an adult court. They know what is right, they also know how powerful their juvenile rights are in protecting them from consequence and use that to advantage.
Temper, temper...
Posted on 17-06-2011 12:55 | By morepork
Part of growing up is learning to control temper. Anger and frustration need to be handled in acceptable ways and sometimes some "time out" is a move in the right direction. The physical safety of students and teachers is not negotiable and must be guaranteed. It would be sad if we need to employ security staff in our schools and equip teachers with pager style alarms, but that would be an inevitable result if the rising trend of violence as a solution to disputes in schools continues unabated. The days when Girls schools raised "young ladies" are long gone and that needs to be recognised. The young women of today have been so politically corrected that they now see themselves as indulging in "manly behaviour" to prove they are as good as, or better than men. Unfortunately, that includes the stupid behaviours as well as the positive ones. The school expelling the student concerned doesn't really solve the problem; it just shows that they have no answer. This pupil needs an attitude adjustment and that can only be carried out by joint co-operation between the school, the students involved in the dispute, and the parents. All parties need to realise that there are acceptable and unacceptable behaviours when at school, and they need to know there are better ways to solve problems and issues than by hitting someone. A school cannot claim to have educated its students if basic life lessons like that are not learned. All the academic achievement in the world is pointless if the students don't know how to deal with issues in a socially acceptable way. Kids are not born with bad behaviour programmed into them; parents, schoolteachers, and other students are all influences that shape a final result. They don't lick it off the stones...
Protection Order
Posted on 17-06-2011 13:24 | By mr mizprint
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Protection Order
Posted on 17-06-2011 13:37 | By mr mizprint
To anyone out there who has an issue with being bullied the answer is simple. Get the bully served with a protection order, then the bully can no longer be within 50 meters of the person covered by the protection order. So essentially the bully cant attend the school as they are likely to breach the protection order at which point the cops come & take them away. Even the threat of using this tool is likey to prompt an otherwise apathetic school administrator to take action against a bully.
Blame the culprit and parents
Posted on 17-06-2011 15:37 | By al pillocksworth
Before people go off on the inevitable blame everyone else including the school thing, just remember what has happened to any thought of actions and consequences in this country over the last decade. Briefly there are no consequences for bad behaviour, let alone any responsibility. I even read about a parent unable to make her 12 year old attend school. Wouldn't have happened in my day. Quick flea in the ear and forced to school would have been the result. But not in today's society full of psychobabble and bs. So until we reinstate enforceable penalties and hold teenagers and adults responsible for their actions it's only going to get worse. Perhaps the PC types and Sue Bradfords of this world will have a solution. Hmmmmm
Choices & Consequences
Posted on 17-06-2011 17:15 | By bigted
Unfortunately some young people do not understand the rule above. I am a teacher (not TGC) - Every school/workplace has a potential problem with bullies. We can all remember bullying or "teasing" in our younger days, nothing has changed - except that it is more open and not tolerated.
CAUSE AND AFFECT!
Posted on 18-06-2011 12:43 | By JERRY CORNELIUS
No rules or boundaries, then no respect no control no way to keep teh little kids in line when they get to be "big" kids, simple really start when they are young and on a consistant basis apply the rules, the kids will respect you for it and comply with all that is reasonable. Simple adage ... "hard and fair" works. Of course could always apply teh Singapore methids to crims, they have the lowest crime rates in the world, you can actually walk down any street any time of day or night without fear of harm. Simple really the "punishment fits the crime". JAIL, Sky, heater, three meals etc is not "PUNISHMENT" in fact for many it is better than home and of course still get all the essentials delivered like drugs when want etc. The whole thing is the wrong way around.
Two girls were attacked
Posted on 18-06-2011 13:55 | By mh77
The school has completely downplayed the severity of the situation. I was in that classroom when this incident happened, and the 'assault' was actually strangulation, which I think is a much more serious offence than a mere bullying incident. This could easily have resulted in serious harm or death. I was also surprised that only one girl was 'excluded' from school, as it was a group of six girls who fronted the attack, two being the main attackers. Two girls were assaulted, myself one of them, and I had nothing to do with the so-called incident at lunch. I think the school has paid too much attention to the opinions and say of the aggressors, and none was paid to the victims. The board did not even consult us, or the teacher involved, in their decision. I was very disappointed in the disciplinary outcome- two girls should have been 'excluded'.
@ mh77
Posted on 18-06-2011 16:27 | By morepork
Thanks for posting an on-the-spot report. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this has not been handled well and the expulsion simply means that the school is not coping. For the Board to take action without any consultation to the teacher or the students involved shows they are simply following a process, without thought. You have every right to be upset and yet your post is measured and well written. Well done, you. I agree with you that "strangulation" is much more serious than mere bullying. There needs to be more investigation and it needs ALL parties to be involved. I understand you would like to see the two girls expelled, but there is a bigger picture here. Where do they go? Do they just become someone else's problem? If we force young women out of education because we simply don't know how to deal with episodes like this, we are amassing severe trouble for the future. I repeat: the girls who did this need attitude adjustment and that has to come from other students recognising that their behaviour was unacceptable, the school making it clear that there are other ways to resolve disputes and the parents supporting the school and students. Even if it proves impossible to change their minds (and often, when tempers have cooled people can realise they acted badly) it is still possible to curb undesirable behaviour if everyone works together to show they consider this behaviour unacceptable, and to provide more acceptable avenues for conflict resolution. I wish you well with your studies and, from your post, it looks like you are on the right track.
Muzza
Posted on 18-06-2011 23:30 | By Muzza
Wonder if those who have made the above postings can see the contracting statements. There are those who say the school hasn't acted tough enough and has no answer to how to handle such incidents , while others say because they kicked a kid out proves they have no answer. Make up your minds !
Useless school useless principal
Posted on 19-06-2011 02:41 | By CC8
My daughter arrived at TGC a happy well adjusted student from TGA intermediate. She was placed in a class where discipline and work were not expected and whenshe did try she was bullied....it went on for her entire time there. She could not get away from it and ended up truant...the school did vewry little about that and NOTHING about the bullying....i the end they illegally told her not to come back....no expulsion just that she shouldn't be there. Illegally as far as the education act is concerned, but as they explained it to me we don't cater for issues outside the mainstream we are better off without them. She had a good future and dreams and was reduced to a trembelling mess scared of both teachers and students . To this day I have not been able to help her with this nightmare....it is deeply ingrained. While she was there the caretaker was attacked and assaulted by some students and former students on the school grounds , and this was also covered up.
CC8
Posted on 19-06-2011 11:05 | By mh77
The school caretaker has put up with a lot. In fact, at the lunchtime incident I heard it was him who helped to sort it out when other teachers wouldn't; of course, I wasn't actually there when that happened but when other year13 students are commending the caretaker for his actions, over those of particular teachers, you can see a problem. Recently the school has also been sending home students with minor incorrect uniform problems, saying that is was a disruption to the classroom, but how is sending good students home helping anyone's education? And that people are sent home for uniform but not for a decent period of time over assult? I was in the same situation as your daughter CC8 when I started, but I was very lucky to have a great Tutor Teacher and by year11 most of the problem student had left anyway. A friend of mine was asked to leave the school because of one facial piercing that was hardly noticable on the grounds that it disrupted learning. The rules are truly becoming rediculous! Of course my comments are not aimed at all of the teachers, I have a selection of absolutely brilliant ones, but the overall running of the school is truly falling to pieces.
missing the point
Posted on 19-06-2011 11:09 | By Mr bay
it is not just the schools problem, the parents need to step up and sort out these kids, everyone seems to say the schools are not doing enough but what are the parents doing. where do kids do thier first learning, at home. You all seem to be blaming the schools but it all starts at home.
victims parent
Posted on 20-06-2011 11:18 | By jillbaylis
I have read with interest the passionate response to this article. As the mother of the strangled student i probably have more reason than most to be offended by the schools reaction.There was 3 injured pupils and a teacher held back forcible. But i do not believe suspension or exclusion is the answer.Yes, good behavior needs to be taught from a very early age from the parents, it is not up to our teachers to do this, they like any other profession want to go to work in a safe environment to teach their chosen subject and go home unhurt and satisfied they have done a good job.Just as our children also have the rights to know that their school is a safe environment to learn in . Don't give these thugs a couple of weeks holiday,they are laughing at you make them come to school, sit in a room doing their school work by themselves , with only detention to look forward to at lunch time for a couple of weeks,word will soon get around that unacceptable behavior is not tolerated. Exclusion, Why, all we are doing is dumping our dirty washing elsewhere, so same punishment as above, but for the more serious offender that had got to the point of exclusion give them a mentor for a few months, we have far more well adjusted girls than not at TGC that could fit into this role admirably, and who knows good may well rub off on bad.
Always fights
Posted on 24-06-2011 19:12 | By laptop1011
The principle doesnt even do anything and the police should do something about this. There is always fights at girls collage.
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