Gun held to head: Schoolgirl’s bullying torment takes toll
The mother of a girl who had a gun pointed at her head and was stabbed with a pencil at two Hobart private schools has broken her silence on the incidents. Read why she wants changes to help victims.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A mother has told of the emotional toll on her daughter of bullying at two Hobart schools, including having a gun pointed at her head.
Aleyce Munday has spoken out after the family’s legal processes on the two incidents were settled recently in the hope that more support is offered to children who are bullied and threatened at school.
She said she was only told last year after a complaint to the Office of the Education Registrar that the gun pointed at her daughter Ayva’s head by another student at St Michael’s Collegiate School in 2021 was a toy.
“Up until November 15, last year we were told it was a real gun,” Ms Munday said.
“It took three years for an inquiry after we questioned how Collegiate handled it.
“With an incident like this the school should have been in lock down and I should have been telephoned because this happened at about 9:05 in the morning and I wasn’t made aware of this until Ayva was able to ring me after school at 3:40pm.
“Collegiate told me they took the gun and then called the girl’s mum to come and collect her and the firearm from the school premises.
“I just wanted the school to acknowledge that Ayva was not okay and for the girl to have some kind of punishment – more than just giving her three days suspension for medical evaluation.
“When she punched her and threatened her again, that was the final straw for me.
“Ayva approached her as she was crying and alone and Ayva being the caring type, asked if she was ok – then the ordeal unfolded,” she said.
Ava was 11 when the incident happened.
Ms Munday contacted police the night of the incident and a police spokeswoman confirmed to the Sunday Tasmanian that the matter was reported to police, however no formal complaint was made.
She says she followed up with police a week later and was told they were handling it.
Collegiate principal Dr Julie Wilson Reynolds, who only joined the school last year, said the school’s “paramount consideration must always be our students’ safety and wellbeing”.
“Collegiate supports students to understand and uphold the School’s commitment to a positive, respectful and safe learning environment,” she said.
“Collegiate’s protocols ensure a considered, contextual and proportionate response when students make mistakes and poor choices.”
In 2022 when Ayva had moved to Hilliard Christian School she was stabbed in the thigh with a sharpened pencil by another student and subjected to more abuse and threatening behaviour.
“At Hilliard there were no repercussions for the girl because again, this girl had mental health issues.
“There was verbal bullying and the mother made threatening gestures in the car park when I went to pick Ayva up.
“There so many people out there whose children are being bullied and we just want to see changes made.”
A spokeswoman for Hilliard said the school was aware of an allegation of bullying in 2022.
“While we cannot discuss individual student matters for privacy reasons, we can confirm that at the time, the school followed its established procedures to investigate the concerns raised,” she said
“Additionally, the Office of the Education Registrar conducted an independent assessment and found no basis for further action.
“We also note that there have been no inquiries from the police regarding this alleged incident. However, the school remains fully committed to cooperating with any further inquiries from the relevant authorities.”
However, Ms Munday said the school had ignored her requests to investigate and acknowledge the incident.
After more bullying, Ms Munday home schooled Ayva who is now 15 and is working at two jobs but plans to return to her studies in the future.
“Ayva has had her school experience taken away and there was no real punishment for those who were in the wrong.
“We just don’t know what else we could have done and when are we going to see accountability?
“The schools all but defended the actions of these perpetrators, claiming they had a bad home life, mental health challenges and saw Ayva as a threat as she got along well with staff and students.
“Ayva is an easy target as she is a friendly and caring person.”
A Department for Education, Children and Young People spokeswoman said all allegations of inappropriate behaviour in schools were taken seriously and investigated immediately in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.
She said school policies and procedures were recently revised to provide schools with enhanced strategies for addressing in-person and online bullying.
“The Department welcomes the Inquiry into Discrimination and Bullying in Tasmanian Schools (Government and Non-Government).
“We will be looking closely at any recommendations arising from the Inquiry and how they relate to our schools and supporting the wellbeing and safety of children and young people.”
“I am grateful that Ayva survived these incidents”
The effect of bullying on Ayva Munday has been life changing.
She’s a smart, friendly, polite and hard-working child.
Her mother Aleyce says bullying has affected Ayva emotionally and psychologically.
“The right to a ‘normal’ school life and the right to be a ‘normal’ teenager was taken away from her.
“First and foremost, I am grateful that Ayva survived these incidents and is ok.
“(But) it stirs up a lot of trust issues for me – are our children safe when we leave them at school? Who can we really trust?
“I want more accountability and an apology from the schools and the perpetrators for the [conduct] offence that has changed the course of my daughter’s life.”
Ms Munday’s advice to other parents and carers is to keep the lines of communication open with children as she did with Ayva.
“If your child is experiencing bullying or is harmed in any way, don’t put off dealing with it,” she says.
“I have been pleading with politicians, school principals and following legal avenues in an attempt to fathom out why nothing was ever dealt with at the time.
“Even if it seems trivial, jump on it. The incidents that happened to Ayva were extreme.
“It won’t be the first and last time something this serious will happen in schools.”
Ms Munday encourages parents to meet with schools to make sure they keep victims safe.
“A child isn’t going to learn if they are constantly worried about their safety – and they are at school to learn.
“Don’t tolerate any form of bullying or physical violence.
“We are realistic, we know bullying is never going to stop.
“However, how bullying issues are dealt with and how schools deal with it, needs to change.
“It doesn’t matter if the school is private or public – there needs to be accountability for bad behaviour and protection for victims.
“Too often, the perpetrator becomes the victim and gets additional attention, support and learning resources.”
Ms Munday believes there needs to be consequences for bad behaviour even though the gun held to her daughter’s head turned out to be a toy.
Originally published as Gun held to head: Schoolgirl’s bullying torment takes toll
Car rental firm’s new multimillion-dollar Hobart headquarters
A national car rental firm has revealed demand for rentals in Tasmania peaks at Christmas and Easter. Now, the firm is expanding business in Tasmania. Read why.
New owners secured for Tasmania JackJumpers
Larry Kestelman has made it no secret that he has wanted to sell the Tasmania JackJumpers. Now he has finally found an owner to take over the championship-winning team.