Stood-down pupil said it was a 'joke'

Ashburton College's principal has defended his school against claims of a bullying problem. Photo / Thinkstock

Ashburton College's principal has defended his school against claims of a bullying problem, after a student was threatened with sexual violence during an incident filmed by a student at the school on Friday.

In the incident, students covered the head of another student and told him they belonged to terrorist group Isis. Three Year 9 and 10 boys were stood down for five days.

College principal Grant McMillan yesterday confirmed a wide range of abuse and comments were hurled at the student during the incident, including threats of sexual and physical violence.

He also confirmed the college had screenshots from a video of the incident, which was voluntarily handed to the school by a student.

One of the stood-down students said the incident had been blown out of proportion; that he thought it was a joke and that, at the time, he did not know what Isis was.

"We're not Isis and now we're menaces of the community," he said.

The father of one of the students told One News his son's actions were acceptable and the incident didn't worry him in the slightest. The bullied boy deserved it, he said.

Mr McMillan said that he was "extraordinarily surprised" a parent would think bullying was ever acceptable.

A mother, who asked not to be named, said she started the Ashburton College Bullying Awareness Facebook page after her daughter came home and "cried for two hours" after a bullying incident.