Fed-up school's total knife ban
11th March 2010
thor: John Masanauskas, education reporter
Publisher: News Ltd
Publication: Herald Sun, Page 2 (Thu 11 Mar 2010)
Keywords: Martin (1),Dixon (1)
Edition: 1 - FIRST
Section: NEWS
Fed-up school's total knife ban
A SCHOOL has banned the use of knives in classes like woodwork as new
figures reveal that two knife-related incidents a week are being reported
in the government school system.
Berwick Lodge primary school has taken the drastic action after an
11-year-old boy threatened students with a box cutter last week.
Principal Henry Grossek said yesterday that it followed an incident last
year when another student brandished a steak knife taken from the staff
room.
``We have come to a tipping point, people have had enough,'' he said.
``All knives are indefinitely banned in our school until we can make them
safe.''
Last Thursday's incident is among 12 reported cases involving knives in
state schools in the first five weeks of term.
This compares with only 19 incidents for all of 2009, according to
Education Department figures.
Also last week, police cautioned a 12-year-old Bellarine Secondary College
girl who held a knife to the throat of a fellow student.
Mr Grossek said that while no one was hurt at Berwick Lodge last week, he
was concerned about a rising number of cases involving knives both inside
and outside school.
He called on the Education Department to provide more funds to schools to
deal with increasing numbers of troubled and violent children.
Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon said that principals and
teachers should be given all the powers necessary to deal with the knife
issue, including pre-emptive searches of students.
``We need to send a strong message that schools have to be very safe places
for students and teachers,'' he said.
An Education Department spokesman said knife incidents were very uncommon
and this year's cases included nine threats and no injuries.
``Victorian Government schools are overwhelmingly safe places and
principals have the power to deal with serious matters, including those
involving knives, by suspending and expelling students,'' he said.
``Victorian schools have strict reporting processes in place to ensure that
knife incidents are dealt with immediately and knives are immediately
confiscated.''
Under a crackdown announced last week, Premier John Brumby said that anyone
aged over 16 found carrying a knife faced a $1000 on-the-spot fine.
Knife-related cases in 2009
1 Year 8 boys in altercation. One student expelled.
2 Mother of year 8 boy notified school that a year 7 boy stabbed her son,
but found to be a scratch. Student suspended.
3 Year 7 boy threatened two boys, but no knife found. Boy suspended.
4 Year 9 boy assaulted a year 11 male with a Swiss army knife. Culprit
suspended.
5 Fight between student and ex-student on school grounds. Student expelled.
6 Year 9 boy with knife apprehended by police at schoolgate. Suspended.
7 Year 7 boy threatened staff with a knife and broken glass.
8 Year 9 student threatened with a pocket knife by another year 9 student,
who was suspended.
9 Year 7 boy assaulted another year 7 boy with a knife.
10 Year 10 boy student threatened with a knife by another year 10 student.
Student suspended.
11 Two male students threatened 15-year-old. One expelled, one suspended.
12 Boy, 9, trashed his classroom, went home and threatened to return to
school with knife.
13 Year 7 male threatened four other year 7 boys. Student suspended.
14 Youth jumped fence and threatened two students in feud between two
families.
15 Year 7 boy allegedly made knife threat.
16 Student threatened another student with a knife after being provoked
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Martin Dixon MP
State Member for Nepean
Shop 1, McCrae Plaza
Cnr Lonsdale Street and Pt Nepean Road
McCRAE VIC 3938
Phone: (61) 3 5986 6661
Fax: (61) 3 5981 1360
Email: martin.dixon@parliament.vic.gov.au