Dad forced for pull kids from school over constant bullying

A GOLD Coast dad wants laws on the street to be enforced in school playgrounds to stop the bullying epidemic, saying current school-based punishments fail as deterrents.

A GOLD Coast dad wants laws on the street to be enforced in school playgrounds to stop the bullying epidemic.

Helensvale father Ken Chancellor says he has been forced to home school his children after years of bullying, and is adamant they will not return until minimum punishments are introduced on thugs.

“We see one set of rules for bullies inside of school and another for those in the real world,” he said.

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Ken Chancellor has been forced to home school his two sons, after they suffered years of bullying on the Gold Coast. Ken Chancellor with his sons Thomas, 12, and Daniel, 16. Picture: Jerad Williams

“If someone is punched in the street they go to jail, but in school kids are given a holiday or a talk. That doesn’t deter them.”

Mr Chancellor’s sons — Daniel, 16 and Thomas 12 — have both endured physical and verbal abuse and are now educated through the Cairns School of Distance Education.

Daniel has been home schooled for the past two years, while Thomas left Upper Coomera State School in June of this year, due to ongoing abuse.

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“This is not just about a school, or one teacher, this is a national problem in education,” Mr Chancellor said.

Daniel Chancellor with his dad Ken. Daniel is now a member of Queensland Youth Parliament and is keen to put forward his ideas on tackling bullying in schools. Picture: Jerad Williams

After suffering months of harassment by an older student, Thomas said he eventually broke down and told his parents who removed him from the school.

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Daniel, now working to complete a degree alongside his high school graduate certificate is pleased with the decision and has gone on to become a representative of the Queensland Youth Parliament.

The 16-year-old was present at the State Government’s Anti Cyber Bullying Taskforce when it visited the Gold Coast earlier this year.

“For me it was mostly just words and threats to bash me but when I was put in a chokehold I had to tell them,” Daniel said.

Both of Mr Chancellor’s kids had been bullied. Picture: Jerad Williams

“It is an issue you want to talk about so badly, but the thoughts of those working in schools differ so much to those who have been bullied.”

Education Minister Grace Grace said principals already had the tools to deal with bullying in schools.

“I support principals in taking a hard line on this insidious community-wide issue, which is not isolated to within school grounds,” she said.

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“Principals have a number of strategies and powers at their disposal to discipline students who are found to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour,” she said.

Taskforce representative and President of the Teachers Union Kevin Bates said a case-by-case approach to discipline was the best option.

“A one-size approach isn’t the way schools work,” he said. “Each individual case needs to be judged and schools need to look at all the facts.”

Mr Bates said home schooling due to bullying was not the usual course of action for bullying victims.

“Our view is clear, the best place students to get schooling is in a school,” he said.

“That being said individual parents have to make decisions based on the needs of their children and look at all the options.

The Queensland Anti-cyber-bullying Taskforce report is expected to be delivered to the Premier on August 31.