School stalkers banned
21st May 2009
Author: STEPHEN DRILL, Education reporter
Publisher: News Ltd
Publication: Herald Sun Sunday, Page 31 (Sun 17 May 2009)
MANY schools are becoming mini-prisons as students turn to court orders to stop being harassed by bullies.
The Children's Court is receiving hundreds of intervention order applications each year as students take legal action to settle differences.
Under some of the strict orders, teachers are forced to keep students at least 200m away from each other, despite them continuing at the same school.
Principals complain they are being turned into part-time wardens who have to enforce the court rulings.
But victims, some of whom have been raped by their school-yard stalkers, say intervention orders are their last hope of protection.
The latest data available shows there were 499 intervention orders made in the Children's Court for stalking in 2005-06.
Meanwhile, staff at Heidelberg Magistrates Court say they are receiving up to eight intervention order applications a month from students against other children at the same schools.
Among cases uncovered in a Sunday Herald Sun investigation:
A TEENAGE girl took out an order against a classmate who spread malicious rumours about her on MySpace.
A PRINCIPAL wrote to the Children's Court to ask them not to grant an intervention order between two students because it would be hard to put into practice.
A TEENAGE boy took out an intervention order against classmates who had repeatedly punched him and demanded money.
A GIRL took out an intervention order against a former friend who hacked into her MySpace page and told lies about her sex life.
Cyber safety expert Susan McLean said the rise of mobile phones, Facebook and MySpace social networking sites had led to an explosion of virtual stalking.
Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon said common sense, not intervention orders, should be used to solve dispute between teenagers.
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