Parents and students speak out about fights at Mooroopna and Wanganui campuses

She said she had witnessed more fights at the Mooroopna campus this year than when she was at Wanganui Park Secondary College before the school merger.

“There were a couple of fights where a lot of people were involved — up to 10 to 20 people, and then two to three people in smaller groups,” she said.

She said most of the fights were due to “basic high school drama”.

She said while some of the bigger fights were racially motivated, she believed it wasn't a driving factor.

She was worried about being a bystander in these fights, for fear of getting in trouble from teachers or becoming involved in the conflict.

The student also said the school was dealing with it by in-school and out-of-school suspensions, but it wasn’t fixing the problem.

“The only punishment is suspensions and then stricter rules about uniforms and phones,” she said.

Mother of Year 9 student

The mother of this student said "no school was devoid of fighting", but noticed she was hearing about fights from her daughter more often this year.

She was worried that it meant her daughter wasn't getting attention for her wellbeing.

Her daughter was meant to meet her wellness teacher for support last year, but the appointment was cancelled because there was a fight at the same time.

“She was having a rough day,” she said.

“Kids are being overlooked because of this.”

Mother of Year 9 student

A mother of a student in Year 9 at the Mooroopna campus said her son was the target of bullies in Term 1.

“It's been happening since the start of the school year, after not having those issues before at McGuire,” she said.

She said her son was worried about speaking to his friends and family about bullying because there was a culture of “snitches get stitches”.

“It means you don't speak out against your bullies,” she said.

“He said if someone was inclined to punch him, he would take it and wouldn't say anything because it would make things much worse.

“One of my son's friends was carrying a fishing knife, and my understanding is it was for self-defence.”

The mother said rumours of retribution had been flying around, including a story of someone's house being burnt down after they spoke up about bullying.

“Whether or not that has occurred, that is enough to scare him that he wouldn't speak out,” she said.

She said due to the bullying, her son had become disengaged from his studies and had been missing classes.

Year 9 student

While this student hasn't been involved in any fights personally, he said they had been tough on other kids.

“If I had to summarise the school in one word, it's scary,” he said.

“I've seen every fight going on, and I've been part of a lock-down at the start of a year during a fight.”

He said while the frequency of big fights was irregular — with some happening multiple times a day and others a couple of weeks apart — he said the threat was always on students’ minds.

“Every day there's someone talking about a fight that has happened or that may happen,” he said.

“I'm pretty shocked and disappointed — it's tough waking up and thinking there could be a fight.”

He wants to start a petition to urge the school to stop the fights, and said his friends were willing to sign it.

“It's not the school (merger) I'm worried about — it's a good opportunity,” he said.

“It's mainly the fact the principal said she had a plan for it that nothing will go wrong.

“I'm just hoping for change.”

Mother of Year 9 student

The mother worries about her son getting caught up in the violence at the Mooroopna campus.

“I don't want my son caught up in a stray hit or punch,” she said.

“I worry about the teachers and the students.

“Year 9 is a tough year for that age.”

She said she would prefer to send her son to a private school, but wasn't able to afford it.

Mother of Year 9 student

The mother has a child at the Mooroopna and Wanganui campuses, and said she was hearing about fights every day.

“From what they're coming home and telling me, the level of violence is escalating,” she said.

“There's always been fights at school, but I just feel my children never experienced or witnessed any of this to this level.”

She said she contacted the school about the issue, and was reassured that everything was under control.

“They're doing the best job they can given the circumstances,” she said.

Wanganui campus

Mother of Year 11 student

The mother of a Year 11 student at the Wanganui campus said her daughter feared for her safety at school.

“There are definitely more in numbers and severity compared to her experience at Shepparton High,” she said.

“She said that even when the kids were arguing with each other at Shepparton High, they were nowhere near as nasty and hostile as they are at Wanganui.

“Now she spends her day watching around her to make sure the gang is not going to attack her or someone else.”

Mother of Year 12 student

The mother of a Year 12 student said her son arrived home scared on Friday after witnessing "violence" during the first break.

“He was nervous about having to go back to school during the whole weekend,” she said.

She said her son had heard of threats to bring knives to school, and she felt like the school wasn't doing anything about the issue.

She said she would send her son to another school if they had the money, and now were considering home schooling.

“I feel very sad to not be able to provide private education to my son who is an excellent student.

“It's too frustrating to have to be afraid constantly that he could get injured at school.”

Year 12 student

The student said he had heard of "race-based" brawls happening at both Mooroopna and Wanganui campuses.

“Things have got far worse over the last week,” he said.

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