Riverside High School: Outburst forces school into lockdown, principal confirms incident

A Tasmanian school was plunged into lockdown with students left cowering under their desks after a student’s outburst. Here’s what happened.

Riverside High School, Tasmania. Picture: Facebook

A parent of two Tasmanian high school students says his children have been left “shaken” after their school was plunged into lockdown on Wednesday, prompted by a student bringing an implement to school and allegedly issuing threats to another student.

Riverside High School principal Jeanna Bolton wrote to parents confirming an incident took place, although the letter was vague on details.

“A student exhibited concerning behaviour whilst at school [on Wednesday],” she wrote.

“We appreciate and acknowledge the actions of staff and students who were able to remain calm so that staff could manage the situation.

“The school enacted the Department’s Lockdown procedures to keep students safe.”

The letter said the student “has received appropriate support,” although it was not clear whether Ms Bolton was referring to the student who brought the item to school, or the student who was allegedly subject to the threats of harm.

Ms Bolton advised parents that if their student was “showing signs of being anxious,” they should contact the school’s Support Team.

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“Student and staff safety is the highest priority for our schools,” she wrote.

While some parents believed the lockdown may have involved a knife, the Mercury understands the implement wielded by the student was a wooden spoon.

A Riverside High School parent told the Mercury the incident occurred during second period.

“The school went into full lockdown. Teachers were all told to lock doors, children were hiding under their desks,” he said.

“They could all hear the screaming of a kid looking for another kid.”

According to the parent, the student with the implement was heard yelling, “Where is he, I’m going to kill him when I find him.”

He said his children were left “shaken” by the incident. His daughter was not on campus at the time of the lockdown, but she was “concerned about her brother,” who was.

Tasmania Police confirmed an incident took place, but was also vague as to exactly what occurred.

“Police attended a disturbance at a Launceston school about 11.40am [Wednesday],” a spokeswoman said.

“Nobody was physically threatened or injured during the incident, and the matter was resolved quickly.

“No charges have been laid, and the matter is being handled by the school.”

The Department of Education, Children and Young People confirmed the incident took place.

“Student and staff safety is the highest priority for the department, with all possible measures taken to provide students with a safe and supportive learning environment,” a spokesman said.

“The department can confirm that Riverside High School activated lockdown procedures [on Wednesday] in response to a student exhibiting concerning behaviours.

“School staff acted quickly to support those involved and will continue to support any students that were affected.

“The lockdown procedure is a safety mechanism used in a variety of situations. As part of this process, students, staff and visitors are locked within buildings for their own safety.”