Four Year 9 students suspended from Melbourne campus over school-time drinking binge
Four year 9 students at a Melbourne independent school have been suspended after they brought alcohol on campus for a lunchtime drinking binge.
Tertiary
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Four students have been suspended from a Melbourne independent school for drinking alcohol during school hours.
Donvale Christian College disciplined four year 9 students this month after they were found to have brought alcohol on to the campus, which they consumed in a nearby parkland during lunch.
Executive Principal Tim Argall declined to discuss the details of the incident. However, he confirmed children had been disciplined and the year group was currently being educated on the dangers of underage drinking.
“Our commitment is to the kids and their wellbeing,” Mr Argall said.
“We want to help them move on from their mistakes toward good habits. It is very much every child is unique and we need to look after them first.”
Encouragingly, research in recent years has indicated alcohol use is declining among Victorian youths amid a strong focus on the issue.
To help stamp out drinking culture the Andrews Government introduced a ban on alcohol advertising on billboards within 150m of 2500 schools in Victoria last year.
At the time Gaming and Liquor Regulation minister Marlene Kairouz said the amendment aimed to reduce alcohol-related harm in young people.
“Kids shouldn’t be encouraged to drink on their way to class every day — that’s why we’re banning alcohol advertising near schools,” she said.
The latest suspensions come after 14-year-old boy was expected to front the Children’s Court in relation to drug trafficking at a Bellarine Peninsula school, earlier this month.
The child was interviewed by police after allegedly selling drugs, believed to be cannabis, to a 13-year-old on May 15.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education and Training Victoria said all reports of drug use on Victorian campuses were taken seriously.
“Drugs are not tolerated in our schools, and fortunately drug-related incidents in our schools remain rare,” she said.
“The Department works with schools to support a number of programs that reinforce an anti-drug culture.”
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