Mooroolbark East Primary School: Police called to Taylors Rd for several lockdowns

A Yarra Valley school has been forced into several lockdowns with police attending to support students “not coping” with big events going on in their lives.

Mooroolbark East Primary School grounds. Picture: Facebook

A primary school in Melbourne’s outer east has been forced into several lockdowns with police called due to aggressive pupils.

The Herald Sun can reveal Mooroolbark East Primary School has experienced a “number of short lockdowns” and had police attend to support students involved.

In a letter to parents from the school’s principal Deb Keating, she said the lockdowns were happening because students had outbursts, which could often result in an “explosion of fear and big feelings”.

“When they come to school the fear and anxieties that they are feeling become overwhelming or they have a number of ‘departments’ working with them that do not set them up for success,” Ms Keating said.

“It then becomes unsafe for that child and the rest of the school community.”

The letter went on to say the most important aspect of the school’s leadership team was to protect its students and staff and make learning at MEPS enjoyable and safe.

“Sometimes, for many reasons that are often outside the school’s control, the journey in a student or students’ lives is troubled and fearful.

“As a leadership team, we then need to make decisions and act to keep everyone safe. Lockdowns are one tool we have to ensure safety, however, we always use this as a last resort. Ensuring your child’s safety is paramount.

“Lately we have had a number of short lockdowns and had police attend to support students not coping with big events going on in their lives.”

The school’s principal said police had been called in to help children not coping.

Ms Keating said previously when the school had communicated to the community a lockdown had happened, it resulted in “abuse for having a lockdown” or parents arriving at the school.

“I wish to reassure our school community that we would communicate any incident that has placed a student or group of students at harm and would ring individual parents as required.

“We do try to minimise the impact on the larger school community by making the lockdowns as discreet as possible and as short as possible.

“Lockdowns are used to ensure that we do not get to the point of any student being harmed.”

Ms Keating wrote the school had been working “round the clock” with the Education Department and other departments to set students up for success.

“We have not needed to have a lockdown for a little while and we hope that continues. We thank our school community for their understanding.”

Data obtained last year by the Herald Sun under Freedom of Information laws ­revealed on average at least 22 reports weekly of violent and aggressive behaviour against students and staff.

The figures showed a 12-year-old student with two knives, behaved in a “physically ­aggressive manner” towards staff, forcing a classroom into lockdown.

A Department of Education spokesman said: “Mooroolbark East Primary School has enacted its student safety procedures this year on some occasions due to student behaviour.”

“These have been proportionate and appropriate to ensure the safety of all students and staff,” he said.

“The safety and wellbeing of students is the school’s highest priority.”

“The School Community Safety Order scheme empowers authorised persons, such as school principals, to issue School Community Safety Orders to parents, carers and other people who engage in harmful, threatening or abusive behaviour.”