MEDIA RELEASE

9 November 2017

Common Sense Control Of Unruly Children ‘Suspended’ From Schools

Family First NZ says that teachers are right to be concerned about the potential harms of handling unruly and violent students and the possible effect on their professional status.

“Common sense has been expelled from schools, and no amount of ‘guidelines’ and ‘professional development courses’ can make up for teachers being able to respond quickly and instinctively in the most effective way in often very stressful and exceptional circumstances. Parents also want assurance that their children will be kept safe from violent or unruly students,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“But this issue is not only happening in schools. In 2012, a Methven bus driver was suspended for controlling an unruly 5 year old. In 2012, Gore bus driver Jim McCorkindale was prosecuted by the police for controlling a teenager who was threatening other students, but his case was thrown out by the Judge. Despite this, the police admitted they would prosecute again in similar circumstances.”

“All these cases – combined with the ‘chilling’ effect of the anti-smacking law - are having the adverse effect of parents and teachers becoming too afraid to administerany physical control or restraint of children. Children have received the message that adults can not touch them or even tell them what to do. This seriously undermines the authority of parents, teachers, and even the police themselves – hence the increasing violence and disrespect towards parents, teachers and police.”

“We are quickly creating an unsafe environment where children know their rights, but not their wrongs. Restoring authority will make our children happier and our communities and schools safer.”

“We have a system of education and society where discipline and responsibility are being replaced by the politically correct nonsense of children’s rights. Ironically, this has been pushed by groups such as the Children’s Commissioner, Families Commission and the teachers’ unions who are now crying foul.”

“It also seems ironic that as we are saying no to violence within families and our community, schools are tolerating an unacceptable level of violence, sexual and offensive behaviour and intimidation, and that the rights of children and teachers to be safe are being sacrificed in favour of the rights of students who place other children at risk.”

“Student behaviour and bullying will continue to deteriorate for as long as we tell them that their rights are more important than their responsibilities, proper parental authority is undermined by politicians and subject to the rights of their children, and that there will be no consequences of any significance when they ‘cross the line’.”

ENDS

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