Angry mum sends high school into lockdown

A MOTHER sent a Bowen school into lockdown trying to retrieve her child after an altercation with the principal.

Shannon Maree Connelly visited the school in June after her daughter was involved in a fight with another student at Bowen State High School.

Bowen Magistrates Court last week heard Connelly’s daughter was excluded from the school for a year after the fight, but the mother was upset because the other student did not receive the same punishment. Police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors said Connelly, who faced court the day before she was due to deliver her sixth child, went to the school to speak to the principal about the exclusion and became aggressive.

Sergeant Myors said Connelly told the principal none of her children would be continuing at the school so the principal told the mother she would get her other daughter from class.

To that Connelly replied, “No you won’t you white b----, I’ll get her”, Sergeant Myors said.

The court heard Connelly was told she could not enter the school grounds, but she ignored the direction and entered the school grounds anyway.

Because of her “hostile” and “abusive” nature the school was placed into emergency lockdown, Sergeant Myors said.

Sergeant Myors said the Bowen mother collected her other child from class and left the school grounds with both daughters.

When interviewed by police, Connelly said she believed her daughter’s punishment was an equality issue and she did not want her other child to be taught by people who didn’t believe in equality.

This week Connelly pleaded guilty to wilfully disturbing the good order or management of a state educational institution.

Lawyer Cleo Rewald appeared for Connelly, and said the 39-year-old mother’s actions were out of character as she had no criminal history.

The court heard she was happy with her decision to pull her daughters out of the school as they were now doing well with distance education.

“Ms Connelly accepts that she perhaps could have dealt with the situation slightly differently, however, she did get angry that only her child was being penalised to the extent of an exclusion,” Ms Rewald said.

“Twelve months for her child to be excluded from a school, which is the only high school here in Bowen.”

Connelly told Magistrate James Morton she believed her daughter’s exclusion was a race issue, but admitted the principal didn’t say anything racist to her or her daughter.

Mr Morton said she got 10 out of 10 for going and looking after her child’s welfare.

“But when you chuck the race relation in … it takes it a step further, doesn’t it?”

Connelly was placed on a $200 good behaviour bond for six months and no conviction was recorded.