By Mitchell Clarke
Students from Berwick College have joined the Department of Education in throwing their support behind an assistant principal who was filmed restraining a student during a mass brawl on school grounds.
Up to 20 students were involved in the fight at the Manuka Road campus on Tuesday 20 August, about 1.30pm. Victoria Police arrested three boys aged between 14 and 16 years old.
A teacher received minor injuries while a 17-year-old was taken to hospital and later released.
Footage emerged on social media which showed the moment a staff member allegedly held a student in a headlock as he tried to break up the violence, prompting outrage from some.
But the Gazette spoke with a parent of three children from Berwick College who said the school community was behind the staff member.
“That poor teacher was just trying to protect those from getting hurt and you will find most of the kids from Berwick would agree. They feel sorry for their assistant principal,” the parent said.
“If that was my children being attacked I would like them to be defended.”
Wanting to remain anonymous, the parent said footage of the teacher being attacked was recorded but hasn’t been released for fear of repercussions.
“There has been footage of the teacher being knocked pretty badly but the child who took that is too scared and doesn’t want to be involved so he has not put that forward,” she said.
“The children of Berwick are a little upset with the video that’s been released to the media and say that the teacher got hit ‘pretty bad’.
“They are scared to come forward though because they worry about the kind of kids that caused these problems.”
It’s believed students have been taking to social media using the hashtag #TeamDoble in a bid to show their support to the teacher.
The brawl lasted for half an hour but left the school in lockdown from 1.45pm till 3pm, with student’s contacting parents as they hid under tables.
It wasn’t until after the fact that parents were notified by the school.
“My husband and I were actually driving when my daughter texted and thought we would swing by the school,” one parent said.
“We drove in and saw a few police cars and an ambulance down the other side of the school.
“We were approached by a teacher who said they were confronted with an angry parent that was a little out of control.”
The Department of Education wouldn’t confirm the nature of the brawl, instead a spokesperson released a statement confirming they were investigating the incident.
“We understand the staff member intervened and restrained the student to prevent the student from committing further assaults,” the spokesperson said.
“School staff may take reasonable action to restrain a student when they are posing a danger to other children, staff or themselves.”
The Gazette was told a number of students have been suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
It’s unknown whether this fight is linked to another alleged “violent incident” which occurred at the same school just a week earlier.
One parent of a Berwick College student told the Herald Sun that violence had occurred at the school for the last four months.
“There is no discipline, this school has an issue with fighting every day of the week, the parent said.
“My son is not returning to school until they resolve this.”
Despite this, the Department said this kind of behaviour remains relatively rare in Victoria’s state schools.
“On average, there are less than two violent incidents per school, per year in Victoria,” the spokesperson said.
“Violence in schools is completely unacceptable however if it does occur, we take it seriously.
“We have been working closely with Berwick College to ensure all staff and students are provided with additional support services at the school.”
The Gazette contacted the school but was referred to a statement from principal Kerri Bolch who confirmed an altercation took place which prompted the school to enact their lockdown procedure.
“We do not tolerate this type of behaviour at our school and it does not reflect the values of the overwhelming majority of our students,” Ms Bolch said.
“This matter has been reported to Victoria Police and we will assist them with their inquiries.
“We will investigate this matter thoroughly and take any appropriate action.”
The three boys arrested have all been released pending summons. The investigation remains ongoing.
