Family calls for urgent reforms to combat schoolyard violence after son was assaulted at school

The parents of a vulnerable year 7 student are calling for urgent reforms to address schoolyard violence, after their son was assaulted in a fight at Bass Coast College’s San Remo campus.

A Year 7 student with a disability was assaulted by a male peer at Bass Coast College’s San Remo campus on February 12.

The family of a vulnerable year 7 student who was physically and verbally assaulted by his peers at a southeastern high school, is calling for urgent reform to combat rising rates of schoolyard violence.

The 13-year-old boy’s parents said their son, who has a rare genetic syndrome, is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after he was the victim of a “pack fight” just weeks into starting high school at Bass Coast College’s San Remo campus.

The young victim was spending time near the cricket nets when he was set upon by a group of students who assaulted him, with the incident filmed and shared on social media.

In videos seen by the Herald Sun, dozens of kids watched on and laughed as the victim was shoved to the ground, with one boy heard saying “give me the phone, I’ll try and get a better angle”.

The young victim was spending time near the cricket nets when he was set upon by a group of students. Picture: Supplied

Dozens of kids watched on and laughed as the victim was shoved to the ground. Picture: Supplied

The victim’s mum claims her son had to return to class following the incident, with the school failing to notify her of what had occurred.

“It wasn’t until a relative – whose child saw the incident at school – called the father to let him know what had happened,” the mum said.

When the family went to the school the next day to organise a meeting with the principal, the mum claimed leadership was not aware of the incident.

“He said he was in the middle of a meeting he had to get back to and advised us to go to the police,” she said.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers investigated reports of peer-on-peer assault at the school, which led to the male victim sustaining minor injuries.

“Officers spoke to a 13-year-old male student, and he was issued with a caution,” she said.

Following the incident, the school put in place a support plan to ensure the boy felt safe returning to the classroom, but it didn’t prevent a second incident where a different student scared the boy by allegedly showing him a knife.

“(Our son) attended (the school) for approximately four weeks up until recess and on some days after recess,” the mum said.

“But there was no support for him to feel safe in the yard with no aide provided during this time.”

The boy’s parents said their family was still coping with the aftermath of the “traumatic event” which has left “deep scars”.

“(My son), who had only just begun high school, was diagnosed with PTSD and now suffers from severe anxiety, sleep disturbances, and feelings of hopelessness,” the dad said.

“He lays in bed at night saying these children have ruined his life. It’s heartbreaking.”

The parents also felt there was little support offered to their child following the incident.

A Department of Education spokesman said violent behaviour was unacceptable in any Victorian school.

“Bass Coast College took action immediately and offered wellbeing support to impacted students,” he said.

The male victim sustained minor injuries. Picture: Supplied

The boy’s parents said their family was still coping with the aftermath of the “traumatic event”. Picture: Supplied

Three in four disabled students were bullied at Australian schools last year according to Children and Young People with Disability Australia’s 2024-25 youth education survey.

The family has called for a series of strong reforms to vanquish schoolyard bullying and violence amid rising reports of peer-on-peer assaults in Victorian schools.

Stronger duty-of-care practices for schools, enforceable zero-tolerance policies for bullying and violence and mandatory report training for all teaching staff, were among the recommendations the mum urged the state’s leaders to consider to prevent more vulnerable students from being targeted.

Other long-term measures she’d like to see implemented included integrating disability awareness education programs into the curriculum, peer-led inclusion groups to support neurodiverse and disabled students socially and annual parent and student education sessions on the impacts of bullying and bystander responsibility.

“Our child didn’t deserve this, no child does. And no family should ever feel this alone in the aftermath,” the mum said.

“Schools must have stronger anti-bullying protocols and consequences and teachers and staff must be trained to protect our most vulnerable students.

“And as parents, caregivers, and community members, we must teach our children empathy.”

Originally published as Family calls for urgent reforms to combat schoolyard violence after son was assaulted at school