Parents of five students at Watsonia North Primary School have formally requested assistance from the Victorian Education Minister, citing their children's fear of attending classes due to alleged severe bullying by a classmate. The families claim the students have been subjected to physical assaults, verbal abuse, and threats by the same student.
One incident reported by the Herald Sun describes a student being slapped so forcefully that she sustained a bloody nose. The alleged bully reportedly told the victim she "deserved to be hit" and threatened further violence. In another disturbing event, a whiteboard drawing depicted a coffin with two students' names inside, accompanied by "RIP."
Other alleged actions include whipping students with a skipping rope, pushing them off playground equipment, and using offensive language. The fear generated by these incidents has led five students to refuse to return to the school, located in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Parents had previously approached the school administration seeking intervention, suggesting the offending student be moved to a different class. However, they were reportedly offered a solution involving a "three-metre radius" separation of desks, which they found insufficient to ensure their children's safety.
Last week, the concerned parents dispatched a five-page letter to Victorian Education Minister Gabrielle Williams, outlining their "serious safety and wellbeing concerns" and highlighting the disruption to their children's education. The letter states that their children are "genuinely fearful for their safety" and do not believe the school's proposed measures will prevent future harm.
The parents allege that any implemented supervision and separation rules for the student in question were not consistently enforced and failed within a day. They expressed that their children fear the other student "might harm or kill them," with the coffin drawing having had a "serious" emotional impact.
According to the parents, their daughters have experienced sleep disturbances and anxiety, questioning whether their classmate poses a threat to them or others. They emphasized that "no nine-year-old should spend their school day monitoring another child's emotions, worrying about where they can safely sit or play, calculating how to avoid an outburst, or wondering whether they may need to run away and hide again."
A spokesperson for the Department of Education acknowledged receipt of the letter and stated that the school is taking "appropriate action" while offering support to affected students and families. The department declined to comment on specific disciplinary matters.