Shore School suspends students over classroom arguments
In his letter, he emphasized that “incidents of this nature are highly unusual on Shore,” but also stressed the need for vigilance and open communication between the school, parents and students.
In a statement on herald, Collier, who has been a principal for 33 years, said the growth of social media is a major challenge for all schools. Shore students are banned from using cell phones during the school day, a rule that has been in place for several years, he said.
Shore’s principal, John Collier, was appointed to the position in July of last year.Credit: Walter Peeters
“As with most emerging developments, schools need to be flexible to navigate this dynamic context. Shore’s protocols will continue to evolve in response so that we can continue to prioritize the care of our young people and educate them on the most ethical and helpful patterns of use in what is now emerging as a large part of their world.”
The letter said the students’ behavior was “completely unacceptable and contrary to the core values we seek to instill in our students.”
“I assure you that the welfare and safety of our students remains our highest priority and we are taking all necessary steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” it said.
Collier was named principal at the Shore in July last year after former principal Tim Petterson was fired after the school board said a culture review had found new leadership was needed. He took over the role after more than a decade as Principal of St Andrew’s Cathedral School.
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Formerly known as the Sydney Church of England Grammar School, Shore, a prestigious all-boys school, was founded 134 years ago. The Anglican school, which has two campuses on the North Shore, counts among its alumni former Prime Minister John Gorton, media mogul Frank Packer and dozens of other prominent figures in politics, business and law.
A Shore spokesman said it “condemns all forms of school-related violence and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students in our care.”
“The investigation into this very serious matter is ongoing, but it has been determined that this was an isolated case that was extremely unusual within our school community.”
Police said officers with the North Shore Police Area Command were investigating the alleged incident.
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