On a larger scale, the data showed that 33,903 public school students were suspended last year, with the bulk of these suspensions occurring due to aggressive behaviour that put the health and safety of teachers or classmates at risk.
Of the suspensions given for unacceptable risk to health and safety, 17,478 were for aggressive behaviour; 13,646 for persistent misbehaviour; 3065 for physical violence; 2082 for verbal abuse; 1153 for misuse of technology and 663 for possessing a weapon, firearm or knife.
In one incident at Ambarvale High, a boy sprayed a girl in the face with an aerosol deodorant can, to which she retaliated by enlisting other girls to attack the boy.
“She got all her friends to go and bash him … he tried to pick one girl up and drop her … About 700 kids were watching the fight in the amphitheatre,” a student told the Sydney Morning Herald.
An unknown source close to the school said that fights on school grounds were nothing out of the ordinary.
“It’s been going on for some time. Teachers don’t feel safe,” they said.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the school had invited police to address students on Thursday.
“This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. It is not tolerated by Ambarvale High School, or any NSW public school, and does not reflect the wider school community,” the spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The students involved have been disciplined by the school, and police are investigating.”
NSW Secondary Principals’ Council president, Denise Lofts, said that no principal wanted to suspend a student, but that it was necessary in certain cases.
“This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. It is not tolerated by Ambarvale High School, or any NSW public school, and does not reflect the wider school community,” a spokesperson said.
“The students involved have been disciplined by the school, and police are investigating.”
Lofts said schools are struggling to deal with the heavy lifting when it comes to addressing disadvantage and the complex mental health needs of today’s youth.
“There is more violence in the community. Where there is violence in the community, it comes into the school. Schools are the place which proactively deal with it and wraps around those young students and their families,” she said.
