Students as young as 9 caught with weapons at school
Students as young as 9 have been caught with weapons at school, with more than 148 instances of students being suspended for this since the start of last year, new Ministry of Education figures show.
There had been 20 instances of students – all aged 9 to 15 – being excluded from school in the first two terms of this year alone, according to data released under the Official Information Act.
There had also been almost 200 stand-downs, which involves the formal removal of a student from school by the principal for a specified period, over the same period.
It was ‘‘always disturbing’’ when situations like this occur in schools, but the split between stand downs, suspensions and exclusions suggested to Secondary Principals’ Association president Vaughan Couillault that ‘‘the majority of the offending was at the lower end of risk’’.
While some students caught with weapons wouldn’t have intended any malice, there would be other children who felt the need to arm themselves because they felt ‘‘genuinely threatened’’, the Papatoetoe High School principal said.
‘‘My advice to that child would be to go and get support from a significant adult in your life be that parents, if that doesn’t work, neighbours, teachers, even schools,’’ Couillault said.
‘‘There’s an abundance of opportunities to get help before you get to the point where you’ve taken a weapon.’’
Dr David Wales, the Ministry of Education’s national director learning support delivery, said that it was important to note that stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions were not measures of student behaviour, but instead were measures of the school’s reaction to these behaviours.
‘‘What one school may choose to suspend for, another may not. The number of these events should not be used as a proxy measure for total student behaviour,’’ Wales said.
The ministry said it didn’t hold information about the types of weapons involved, or if anyone was harmed by them.
Children’s Commissioner Judge Frances Eivers said any instance where a child felt the need to carry a weapon, whether at school or not, should concern everyone.
The reasons that sat behind these actions could be complex, Eivers said, and could range from feeling the need to defend themselves, to acting in a way that could be dangerous for both themselves and others. ‘‘It’s important that solutions focus on a holistic approach, where whānau and community – including iwi, social services and other agencies – work collaboratively to wrap support around those mokopuna and whānau that might be at risk.’’
New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Cherie TaylorPatel wasn’t surprised by the numbers but said every context was very different.
‘‘For some students, they picked up a BB gun or something, and it’s thoughtless or not intended with malice, but there are other situations when it’s not that benign and so you have to be really cautious in every case.’’
Her organisation has been lobbying the ministry since 2020 to provide greater support to students who were excluded from school.
The federation believed some excluded students required support from health agencies including drug and alcohol treatment, counselling or wider family support.
Sean Teddy, the ministry’s operations and integration leader, said it should be noted students being excluded for having a weapon at school did not mean the weapon caused harm.
Teddy said most students who were excluded because of a weapon at school over the past two years had returned to education and a small number went into training or employment.
Schools needed to consider the ‘‘circumstances and the context’’ of the situation, he said, adding there were guidelines to help schools if the intent of carrying an object like a knife was to cause harm and endanger safety.
‘‘Schools have a range of intervention options that promote safe inclusive school environments and these have been shown to reduce harmful behaviours and legitimate threats to safety.’’
Principals must inform the ministry when a student has been excluded by the board and try to arrange for the student to be enrolled at another school within 10 days, Teddy explained.
If they are unable to do so, they must outline the steps taken to the ministry. The student must be kept on the roll until they enrol elsewhere.
The ministry may return the student to the excluding school, arrange for enrolment or direct the board in another school to enrol the student or arrange for the student to be enrolled at Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (formerly The Correspondence School).
‘‘We make all reasonable attempts to consult the student’s parents, the board and any other person or organisation that may be able to advise or help with the student’s education or welfare,’’ he said.