CHB College: Limited statutory manager to be appointed after group of parents forms to address alleged bullying, assaults

The CHB College Board of Trustees says the appointment of a limited statutory manager will allow meaningful and sustainable change.

A limited statutory manager will be appointed to Central Hawke’s Bay College as the school works through concerns about behavioural issues.

Last month the school’s board of trustees resolved to ask the Ministry of Education to appoint a limited statutory manager (LSM), who will work alongside the board, taking over some of its functions, powers and duties.

A letter advising of the board’s decision was sent to parents and whanau of CHB College students last month.

The Ministry of Education website says the appointment of an LSM is a statutory intervention put in place when there are “reasonable grounds to believe there is a risk to the operation of the school or to the welfare or educational performance of its students”.

This is the first time an LSM has been appointed to CHB College, according to board chairwoman Tessa Barrett, who said LSMs were a “relatively commonly used tool to support schools”, with eight other schools in New Zealand having LSMs appointed over the past month.

Barrett told the CHB Mail the board acknowledged there were “potentially areas to be strengthened around safeguarding the safety and wellbeing of the students”, and said there was no single factor leading the board to make the decision to appoint an LSM.

However, the decision has come two months after concerned Central Hawke’s Bay parents formed a group to address what they alleged were serious bullying issues and assaults at CHB College.

It also comes shortly after the resignation of board of trustees member Gerard Minehan, who said in his letter of resignation, “I cannot see this college moving forward in a positive way until our college community and our bullied student ‘victims’ feel they are heard and listened to, and that our college environment is a safe place for all.”

The group, CHB College Parents United, was formed in April after more than 100 parents and community members attended meetings to air their concerns and make a plan for change.

A spokesperson said concerns included allegations of physical attacks, text and voice message threats, students afraid to go to school and parents removing their children due to bullying, threats and physical attacks.

The group CHB College Parents United was formed in April after parents and community members attended meetings to air their concerns about alleged bullying and assaults at the college.

The parents involved have declined to be named, saying they do not want to identify their children for fear of repercussions.

“Parents don’t want to be identified, nor do they want details released that will identify their children. Fear is the main theme here, fear for their children’s safety and their own safety in a small town where people know each other,” said one member of the group.

Twice — in April and again in May — CHB College Parents United wrote to the CHB College board of trustees asking to meet. The CHB Mail has been provided with copies of both letters.

The first letter claimed that “dozens of families have been affected by violence and silence at the college ... student-on-student attacks, bullying, videoing fights, physical, verbal and mental abuse”.

The letter claimed “frustration and loss of confidence in the board of trustees ... parents feel that nothing has been done”.

Both letters were anonymous, explaining “this is because the trust between the college and the community is at an all-time low”, but the writers sought an urgent in-person meeting with the board of trustees, off the college grounds, asking that no senior management or administration staff attend.

The board of trustees met CHB College Parents United representatives on May 17, saying it was keen to hear practical ideas and solutions for improving the safety and wellbeing of rangatahi and that it had been working with both the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The board invited Charelle Pere, manager integrated services for the Ministry of Education, to attend the meeting.

A Parents United spokesperson described the May 17 meeting, attended by Pere, seven board members and 18 parents and community members as “powerful”.

“Ten parents and whanau stood up and each told their story. Ten more parents and former students sent in harrowing stories which were read out by ‘readers’. The board sat for over two hours listening to our stories. The BOT and the MOE agreed to have another meeting to talk about what support options are available.

“The MOE are now on this journey with us in putting things right again. This is a great result.”

Two months after the meeting, the group received a follow-up letter from the board acknowledging their communication and thanking them for their engagement. The letter confirmed the appointment of an LSM and said the board will keep the school community informed.

While saying the appointment of an LSM is a good start, the parents’ group said they couldn’t let this go.

“We feel the parents who shared their pain at the meeting have not been acknowledged. Kids feel unsafe and they shouldn’t have to face that to get an education. It’s not just about us it’s about everyone’s children, now and going forward. Children deserve to be safe at this school,” a spokesperson told the CHB Mail.

The group spokesperson said they were grateful to the Ministry of Education and commended them for working with the board.

“That’s good progress. We’re asking for — and need — change now.”

The college board of trustees stated, as the appointment of an LSM is at governance level only, there will be no change to the day-to-day operations of the school.

The powers the board will vest to the LSM are the functions, powers and duties of the board as an employer, plus the functions, powers and duties of the board to establish policies and procedures.

“The board is confident this will allow meaningful and sustainable change ... while also freeing up the board to progress other important governance work such as strategic planning.”

Board chairwoman Tessa Barrett said, “We know many communities are experiencing behavioural issues due to significant pressures. We felt an LSM would have the capability and capacity to fully understand where we are at and develop a plan to move positively and strongly forward. We are committed to providing the best school environment possible for our students, staff and community.

“The LSM will bring an expert and independent viewpoint and we are looking forward to understanding the findings and the next steps,” Barrett said.

“Once the scope of work has been successfully completed, the LSM’s role will be disestablished and the board will return to self-governance.”