By CATHY ARONSON
HAMILTON - Hamilton Girls' High School faces legal action and a complaint to the Human Rights Commission about its enrolment policy which favoured students with family links.
The school's past enrolment policy gave priority entry to daughters and granddaughters of former students above those in the general ballot. The school is finalising its enrolment policy for next year but according to new enrolment laws it can no longer include heredity links.
But Chris Ludeke, a parent of a third-form student declined entry under the old enrolment policy, said he still wants the school to acknowledge that it discriminated against his daughter.
Nelson-based solicitor Mike Sullivan said he was lodging a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on behalf of Mr Ludeke because the policy was unlawful and discriminated against his daughter, Melissa Ludeke.
Mr Sullivan said that under section 21 of the Human Rights Act people could not be discriminated against on the basis of family status or relationships with particular persons. He said he had yet to decide on what remedy Mr Ludeke would seek but it was likely to be financial.
He said that if the Human Rights Commission ruled that the school did discriminate but the remedy was not sufficient, Mr Ludeke could pursue civil action against the board of trustees based on the Bill of Rights Act.
"If the complaint is upheld it could have landmark implications for other schools."
Hamilton Girls' principal Lil Garland said the commission approved the heredity enrolment policy because of overcrowding six years ago. The Ministry of Education also approved the policy each year.
She said it was common practice for single-sex schools to accept students related to "old girls" because the traditional family links were the school's main form of community.
Old Girls policy fires up parent
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