A high school in Perth’s southern suburbs has mass suspended a group of students who gathered to watch and film a brawl that unfolded on school grounds.
On May 12, two students were involved in a fight at Kent Street Senior High School, and a group of other students gathered around them to watch.
A Department of Education spokesperson confirmed the two students who fought were suspended, and that “every single student involved received a suspension for watching or filming the two students who were fighting”.
They have not yet confirmed the length of those suspensions or the number of suspensions handed out as a result of the incident, but a source with knowledge of the incident told WAtoday the total number was 27.
The source said they had never heard of a situation where so many students were suspended in one go, over one incident, before.
The department spokesperson said the fight was quickly disbanded by staff at the school, and that all parents were informed of the incident.
They said suspending the students was in line with the state government’s 10-point violence in schools action plan, Standing Together Against Violence.
Under that plan, all students who instigate or take part in fights, including any student who films attacks or fights, will be automatically suspended.
The plan states this is to discourage students from sharing footage with others or the wider community, to prevent the harmful impact of fights or violent incidents from being amplified.