Students suspended for threat

hearing, which could see the girls return from suspension with conditions or have their suspensions extended.

Meanwhile, police this week confirmed the girls had been referred to Youth Aid, normally a way of dealing with young people outside the judicial system.

The girls’ college was locked down on July 28 after the school received a threat made by phone. The Express understands the phone call was made to a student at the school.

It came a day after someone scrawled another threat on a bathroom wall. The school had still not confirmed if the two threats were made by the same students.

The college was locked down for two hours after the phone call as armed police swept through the grounds. Neighbouring schools locked down as a precaution and police closed roads in the area.

Children inside texted their parents while hiding under tables. Some classrooms turned off lights, pulled curtains and pushed desks against the door.

Parents rushed to the school after they were informed of the lockdown and waited nervously at the police cordon. One parent tried to get through the cordon but was turned away.

Some parents criticised the school on social media for letting children attend classes on the Thursday, after the threat on the bathroom wall the day before.

The Ministry of Education, however, said it supported how the school incidents.

‘‘Given the school acted on advice from police, we have no reason to review or investigate,’’ ministry Te Tai Runga (south) hautu¯ (leader) Nancy Bell said late last month.

Roughan said the school had many suspension hearings, and they were dealt with on a ‘‘case by case basis’’. Exclusion required the student to be enrolled at another school, but Roughan said the fact that Blenheim didn’t have another high school option ‘‘doesn’t really come into our thinking’’.

‘‘Because of confidentiality we can’t discuss it further than that,’’ he said. handled both