TOP STORY: Texting bullies hit Bay

REON SUDDABY
Text-message bullying is beginning to make its mark in New Zealand secondary schools, and Hawke's Bay is no exception.
Threatening text messages have been in the spotlight after a Putaruru girl killed herself following a text-bullying campaign and a Wairarapa student was recently forced to change schools after months of text message bullying from a group of teenage classmates.
In both cases, the pattern was similar. The abuse included threats of violence and both students began missing school and refusing to leave the family home unaccompanied. One stopped eating and threatened suicide.
Most local schools spoken to by Hawke's Bay Today said while they had experienced problems with text-message bullying, the problems were not major.
Taradale High School assistant principal Al Bain said students were allowed cellphones, but not when they were in class or between classes. They could use them at interval or lunch.
Mr Bain said there had been some minor incidents of text bullying, but they had been dealt with in the same manner as any other incidents of bullying. Most students at the school were "pretty good", and he normally only had about six confiscated cellphones at any one time. Napier Boys' High School headmaster Ross Brown said the school did not ban cellphones, but students were not allowed to use them in formal situations such as lessons and assemblies.
The school had "very few problems" with students and cellphones, and while from time to time there had been issues with text-message bullying, there had been no major disputes, he said.
There were more than 1000 boys at the school but during an interval or lunch break he usually saw only three or four of them using cellphones.
Confiscated phones were given back at the end of the day, Mr Brown said.
Dannevirke High School deputy principal Mike Ronke said students were not allowed phones during class time and if caught using them the phones were confiscated, and parents contacted to collect the items. Only one or two phones were confiscated a week.
Mr Ronke said while there were "undoubtedly" incidents of text bullying, they normally took place outside of school.
Wairoa College deputy principal Bryan Stubbings said students were allowed to bring cellphones to school, but not allowed them in class.
There had been a handful of instances of text bullying, he said, and they had caused "a lot of friction".
Flaxmere College principal Nigel Hanton said students were made aware that they brought cellphones to school at their own risk, and were encouraged to lodge them in the office for the day.
Students were not allowed cellphones in class. Mr Hanton said there had been no major problems at the school with text bullying. Hastings Boys' High School headmaster Robert Sturch said he was not aware of any problems with text bullying at the school. Students were banned from using cellphones during school hours, and any caught breaking the rules had their phones confiscated.
* Have you - or has someone you know - been a victim of cellphone text bullying? If so, please e-mail: reon.suddaby@hbtoday.co.nz