RECENT events at the Wanganui campus of Greater Shepparton Secondary College have escalated to major news status around the country.
And while the events are significant, the occurrence of school violence and fighting is not new, nor is it limited to this one particular school.
People in the community are scurrying around looking to place blame on the decision to create a superschool without taking into account the numerous other and more relevant factors that have contributed to this environment.
Contributing to this is an underlying and widespread social issue of domestic violence that occurs in the Shepparton region.
In any one year, police are called to more than 1,500 incidents of domestic violence within the region and there are many more to which they are not.
It is against this community background that the social behaviour at the school needs to be measured.
In a proactive measure, the Member for Shepparton District, Suzanna Sheed, has called on the State Government to provide Greater Shepparton Secondary College with the resources it needs to address escalating bullying and violence at the school.
Ms Sheed told Education Minister, James Merlino, in Parliament, “I have been working with parents, police, school representatives, departmental officers and the minister’s office to ensure that supports are available for students, parents and staff.
“Our children deserve this state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose campus, but at the moment and during this transition period there is ongoing bullying.”
“There is fear, racial tensions and escalating violence among some students at the school.”
“The violence clearly demonstrated the underlying and unresolved issues that have been festering not only in our secondary colleges but in the broader community for several years.”
Shepparton has a rich and diversified cosmopolitan community with people from some 90 different backgrounds. Recently in an editorial in The Adviser, realtor, Rocky Gagliardi, stated that some of the reasons for the expanding economy in the region was largely due to that rise in community diversification.
Acting executive principal, Barbara O’Brien said, “The health and wellbeing of our students is our top priority and any form of violence or bullying is completely unacceptable.
“All appropriate actions have been taken in recent weeks to ensure a return to a safe and calm school environment, including the provision of extra teachers, additional wellbeing and support staff and the presence of security to ensure the safety of students and staff.”
While the school has taken appropriate measures and maintains policies to overcome bullying as well as inclusion and diversity, in some respect, the community needs to look inward to understand the motivation towards school yard fight and to take positive steps where they can to address the cause rather than the symptom.
Reaction against intolerance and racial prejudices are best addressed at home by parents rather than placing that responsibility on teachers and schools which are ideally, a place of learning.
