Students involved in assault on teen may be suspended

A “bullied” 16-year-old boy was seriously injured in a fight involving three other students at a South Auckland school.

James Cook High School principal Grant McMillan told media the incident involved the 16-year-old and two or three others over what he believed was a falling out at the weekend.

“The student who was bullied was foot-tripped and then punched once [and] during that he fell to the ground in a sealed area and he hit his head,” he said.

Staff were nearby and they and the school’s nursing staff followed procedures for a possible head injury by calling for an ambulance.

The students involved in the bullying incident would be held responsible and likely suspended, McMillan said. He was to meet the boys’ parents.

“It’s the first falling out we have known amongst this lot.”

Police were also called because the incident was of a bullying nature. When asked the age of the students responsible, McMillan replied: “Fifteen-year-old, male”.

“Three of them are in the same year group and have probably socialised together in the past.”

The school had recently been involved in anti-bullying campaigns and McMillan said the incident yesterday was disappointing.

“Bullying is something we don’t accept and we’ve done a lot of work over the recent weeks.”

He said one of the school nurses travelled with the teen to the hospital and when she left he had been talking and smiling.

A police spokesperson said they were notified by ambulance shortly before 11.30am that a 16-year-old male had been assaulted at the school.

The teen, who was taken to Middlemore Hospital, was in a stable condition yesterday afternoon and awaiting further medical attention, a Counties Manukau DHB spokeswoman said.

A St John spokeswoman said two ambulances had attended the incident and one male patient had been transported in a critical condition.

Police had visited the school and were making inquiries. No arrests had been made, but a police spokesperson confirmed a person was assisting inquiries.

A school assembly, which police attended yesterday afternoon, updated students and reminded them what was acceptable behaviour. McMillan also met senior students and today was to hold a staff meeting to consider how they could learn from the incident and be able to do things better.

“The vast majority of students are shocked and disappointed,” he said.

Some parents collecting children from school in the afternoon were unaware of the news. Lee Meen was picking up his son and was shocked: “Oh, that’s not good. I hope the young fella is all right.”

James Cook is a state co-ed secondary school in Manurewa and has a roll of more than 1200.