Greater Shepparton Secondary College student caught with knife

Police were called to Shepparton’s trouble-plagued “super school” after a student was found carrying a knife, forcing nearby classrooms to be evacuated.

Police were called into Greater Shepparton Secondary College after a student brought a knife to school.

Police were called into Shepparton’s trouble-plagued “super school” after a student was found carrying a knife, forcing nearby classrooms to be evacuated.

In a letter to staff obtained by the Saturday Herald Sun, Greater Shepparton Secondary College principal Barbara O’Brien said there was an incident in the school’s Kiewa House where a student brought a “small knife” to school last week.

“He was sitting calmly on the floor in level 1 and was not threatening anyone or in any way appeared agitated,” Ms O’Brien said.

“However as a precaution we evacuated the classrooms closest to the student and contacted the police who retrieved the knife.”

She said the student’s father had immediately taken the boy home.

Ms O’Brien also urged teaching staff not to “go into any detail” if students asked about the incident.

She suggested teachers tell pupils: “There was an incident this morning which we were unsure about so the police were called as a precaution.

“We can advise that nothing happened and everyone is safe.

“Please do not engage in any conversation with students about this.”

Ms O’Brien said a student brought a “small knife” to school last week.

A Department of Education spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident that occurred at GSSC on Thursday.”

“The school followed the department’s protocols and the incident was calmly resolved without any impact on the health and safety of students and staff,” he said.

The Saturday Herald Sun revealed last month there were 2541 students enrolled at the four local schools in 2019 — a year before they merged into Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) – compared to 2070 in 2023.

The school opened in 2022 after it formed from the merger of Shepparton High School, McGuire College, Wanganui Park Secondary College and Mooroopna Secondary College.

It has been plagued by issues since opening including schoolyard fights, teachers working in fear and the school being forced into lockdown several times.

Teachers had also previously expressed being under “duress” suffering burnout and threats from students, causing them serious mental health issues.

The school was also labelled a “huge mistake” during a recent inquiry into Victoria’s state education system.

Jenny Houlihan, who was the former Greater Shepparton mayor for almost a decade and has extensive knowledge of education in the area, told the inquiry that the super school had failed and further disadvantaged locals.