Letters

9th of June 2009

Flyer Handed Out to Parents

EXPELLED FOR BEING BULLIED

news from Titirangi Steiner School

[R] 8 years old     •    [K] 2 years old     •     [Z] 5 years old

Since coming to Steiner Class 3, our daughter [R] has been consistently harassed, hit, kicked, pushed, thrown stones at, pushed repeatedly under water by two boys acting together, forcibly dragged off monkey bars whilst having her feet held (another child hit her head on a post when this was done to her), pushed down a steep ravine.  The boys who inflict this behaviour on her are sometimes up to two years older.

We are now calling upon parents of Titirangi Steiner School, to see and use this as an opportunity to create meaningful and long-awaited change.  We have heard countless car-park conversations complaining about this issue, NOW IS THE TIME to direct the school to create the safe environment for all children that is advertised.

Notwithstanding the recent review into behavioural policy and procedures, carried out largely as a result of our efforts, the school’s policy and procedures relating to anti-violence/student behaviour, have done nothing to prevent our daughter being threatened with an axe in the bush last week while the teacher was nowhere in sight!  On the contrary, acts of assault and harassment have actually accelerated and we objected with feeling, as any concerned parent should.

The school has used this as the very reason to exclude, not only [R], but her sisters [Z] and [K], 5 and 2. They say that they have not targeted them, but it is the children that will be hurt by this.  What should we think?  That we should have kept quiet?  On the contrary, by maintaining pressure on the school on this issue, we have forced them to show their hand and they have shown themselves to be prepared , not only to sanction the hurting of our older child but to hurt our five year old themselves, by severing all ties and denying her access to her beloved kindy, her little world and all her school friends.

Please prevail upon the Steiner School to reconsider this action, to re-instate our children in the school and to put into place procedures that will actually protect the vulnerable children at this school.  There are Steiner schools who operate Zero Tolerance policies without in any way detracting from the Anthroposophical curriculum.

Before you throw this piece of paper away thinking that it is nothing to do with you, please consider the following:

1.  By using the issue of bullying as the reason we are not compatible with the school, the school is tacitly suggesting that the Steiner philosophy includes bullying since otherwise they would not be able to chuck us out simply for objecting to our daughter being hurt.  We have not shown ourselves to be incompatible in any other way and indeed have entered into the life of the school with energy.  Only we have become progressively more vocal about this issue because the intentional hurting of children in that class has not stopped.

2.  If you do nothing to support this family, who has stuck its neck out to confront this long-standing issue, well known  both in the school and in the wider community, then not only could you be putting your own children at risk in the future, but you will unfortunately be colluding with the school’s bullying of us and supporting our unfair dismissal.  You will get the school environment that you ask for, or the one that you do nothing to change.

3. The Human Rights Commission report into bullying in New Zealand schools, published in March, states that they have found New Zealand schools to be guilty of bullying families who complain about bullying, and it is a hot topic.   If they are looking for test cases then we will not shy away from this.  Indeed we welcome and will search out and initiate media and other actions to publicise our current situation,  which is highly suspect and may very well be unlawful.

4. Bad publicity for the Steiner School will affect you all since the school needs new families to grow, but if the community allows us to be thus excluded, we really have very little to lose.

What it amounts to is that NOW IS THE TIME to change this culture which is not committed to stamping out all intentional hurting in the school, into one which is truly the safe environment which is advertised.

How many more kids must leave (2 already this month from this class, not counting ours), or be injured, before the school is directed by the community to come into line with international human rights standards and legislation? 

YOUR VOICE WILL ONLY COUNT IF YOU USE IT!

Public meeting at Titirangi Community House at 3:30 pm, Wednesday 10th.