Emergency services were called to T\u016b\u0101kau College on Thursday morning. Photo \/ Payal Lal <\/p>\n
A mother, who wished to remain anonymous as she may be unenrolling her child, said the school\u2019s communication \u201cp***ed a lot of parents off\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mess … I don\u2019t want my kid going back there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The school posted a message on its website just before 10am on Thursday, urging people to stay away from the school.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease DO NOT come to the school or phone the school,\u201d it wrote.<\/p>\n
A letter from the school board was sent to parents in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
A rural T\u016b\u0101kau secondary school went into lockdown this morning. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe staff member was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and has received timely and appropriate care and, given the circumstance, is doing well. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe student involved … has been located by authorities and is also receiving the attention and support that they need at this time,\u201d the letter said. <\/p>\n
The Ministry of Education traumatic incident team would be working with the school, the letter said, and the guidance team would be available for students. <\/p>\n
The mother said the situation would have been better for parents if the email felt more sincere and honest, instead of \u201csounding like one of those bloody PC responses from a politician\u201d.<\/p>\n
The parent described the school as \u201cdisjointed\u201d and said students experienced bullying and violence. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the extreme version, but there are fights every other day in that place.\u201d<\/p>\n
A parent at T\u016b\u0101kau College shared a message they received from the school board after the incident. <\/p>\n
The Herald has made numerous inquiries to T\u016b\u0101kau College, however, no response has been given. <\/p>\n
In a school newsletter last month, principal Chris Betty suggested violence was a known issue within the school. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have had a few incidents where students still think it is alright to use physical violence to deal with a dispute,\u201d he wrote in last month\u2019s e-bulletin. <\/p>\n
\u201cStudents have all been given a clear message that it is totally unacceptable to use physical violence. I can assure the school community that we will not tolerate this and will use the tools given to us to deal with such issues.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said the school uses stand-downs and suspensions to resolve issues, as well as getting students together. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing we will not waver from, is that this school is going to be a safe learning environment for all students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social media comments from a year ago also describe students experiencing severe bullying, fighting, and harassment at the school. <\/p>\n
The principal is currently finishing his last term in the role, with his farewell postponed due to the incident, according to the letter sent to parents. <\/p>\n
Long-time educator Donna Tupaea is taking over as principal in term two.<\/p>\n
Deidre Alderson, director of education T\u0101maki Makaurau, said, \u201cThe ministry\u2019s traumatic incident team is actively supporting the school and will remain available for as long as they are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The traumatic incident team can help schools understand the emotional and psychological impacts of a traumatic incident. It also helps develop appropriate processes so the school can return to normal operations as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the matter is being managed by police, we will not comment further,\u201d Alderson said. <\/p>\n
Witness Jae Jae Page said he was aware of multiple parents who planned to unenroll their kids. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know three mum friends that I\u2019ve spoken to … and they\u2019re like, \u2018oh no, our kids are not going to school today\u2019. And they\u2019re contemplating whether they\u2019re going to go back at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Page, who was parked outside the school at the time of the lockdown, saw \u201ca whole lot of children running and screaming\u201d. <\/p>\n
He heard a woman yell out \u201cstabbing\u201d while three police cars and an ambulance arrived and drowned out the lockdown sirens. <\/p>\n
He also heard a student walk outside and say, \u201cHe attacked the teacher\u201d. <\/p>\n
Another mother said the teacher who was injured was \u201ca good teacher too, so a lot of students and parents don\u2019t understand how this even happened\u201d. <\/p>\n