Bundaberg North State High School staff told to call police on ‘eshay’ students

The deputy principal of a Queensland high school has urged staff to call police immediately if a group of “eshay” students enter the grounds.

• Guide: Is your child an eshay?

A Queensland school’s deputy principal is asking staff to call police if they see a group of “eshay” students on grounds.

The group has become such a problem that staff at Bundaberg North State High School are hiding from the children called the “eshay” students.

An email sent to all staff at the school last week by an acting deputy principal said, “if you see (them) on school grounds, ask them to leave the school immediately. If they refuse to leave, please call 000”.

A staff member, who asked not to be named, told The Courier-Mail the students are known as the “group of eshays” who are always out of uniform and constantly kick other boys out of the toilets so they can vape.

They said a colleague went into a room to get printer ink recently and saw the group lingering nearby, so they stayed hidden in the room until the students moved away.

The staff member said the gang comprises a group of students spanning multiple year levels. According to their MySchool profile, Bundaberg North has almost 700 students.

“All of these students are still enrolled, but some of them are a big enough (issue) that we need to ring triple-zero as soon as they set foot on the grounds,” they said.

The staff member said one particular member of the “eshay group” had previously received a multi-day suspension for kicking another student who was using the urinal. The same student had also stolen another child’s phone and wallet, and beaten up another student so badly that the victim spent the night in hospital.

The Courier-Mail contacted the Queensland Police Service regarding the most recent incident. A QPS spokesman said there was no record of an assault complaint made.

The staff member said even suspensions don’t stop these children.

“The other issue is that if these kids are suspended, they still come to school, and we can’t get a hold of their parents to come and pick them up.”

Bundaberg North State High School. Photo: Paul Beutel.

The Courier-Mail understands the school is working with local police officers regarding suspended students coming onto the grounds.

The staff member claimed a directive had been passed down the chain that the school’s suspension rates were too high.

“Apparently we are suspending too much and our rates are too high, so we need to stop suspending so much … that is the most common feedback at staff meetings,” they said.

A Department of Education spokesman refuted the Bundaberg staff member’s claim that the school had been told to limit suspensions to reign in overall numbers.

“Principals have not received a direction from the department to limit or stop School Disciplinary Absences. Regional Directors and School Supervisors work closely with schools to support their approach to addressing student behaviour,” the spokesman said.

“The Department is aware of concerns raised relating to complex behaviour issues from a group of students within the school community. The senior leadership team is working with parents, students, and staff to support these students and address these issues.

“As a precaution, and in the interests of safety, an email was sent to staff to remain vigilant to unauthorised persons on school grounds after a recent incident of trespassing.

“Rest assured, in any situation where students engage in violence and anti-social behaviour the school will not hesitate to apply appropriate consequences to students involved in line with the school’s Student Code of Conduct.”

Bundaberg is one of the two initial trial sites for the Department’s new Educational Precincts initiative and several local schools – including Bundaberg North State High – will receive a share of $750,000 in extra resourcing this financial year.

The initiative aims to address community challenges through schools working with partner agencies to increase youth engagement, ease the transition into junior secondary school, and ensure young people have the skills they need for the jobs.