New rules for searching school students suspected of carrying harmful items including weapons or drugs are useful but teachers need greater powers to combat cyber bullying, says a Hawke's Bay principal.
The increase in cyber use among students and the possibilities for distributing images of other students online was "very dangerous", Napier Boys' High School headmaster Ross Brown said.
Guidelines for teachers to clarify how and when they can search students were issued last week. New Surrender, Retention and Search legislation came into force a month ago under the Education Amendment Act.
The guidelines spell out the best practice teachers should follow when searching a student they suspect is carrying a harmful item or one which will disrupt learning. Secondary principals say knives are the most common weapons brought into schools by pupils - either for bravado or self defence.
Mr Brown said the new guidelines gave staff clarity on how to search students, but would not have a substantial impact on the way they already carried out searches.