Principals around the country must be wondering just who is in charge of their schools after a High Court judge decided a South Island Catholic school's punishment of two unruly rowers was excessive.
The judge was asked to rule on St Bede's College decision to ban two rowers from anannual regatta, because the pair rode on a baggage carousel at Auckland airport. Police and the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) gave the pair formal warnings after the prank, which happened on Monday, shortly after they arrived from Christchurch.
The rowers don't appear to have been naked, drunk or cavorting in any particularly unseemly manner. They rode on the baggage carousel, and breached a Civil Aviation rule. The school banned them from the Maadi Cup. Parents of the rowers thought the punishment outweighed the crime and sought an urgent injunction at the High Court in Christchurch to allow their sons to row in the first race at 11.28am on Monday. The school said its code of conduct clearly warned that stern action could eventuate if rules were broken.
Justice Rachel Dunningham said she was satisfied there was "at least a serious question" over the issues raised by the parents, which included concerns that the two boys banned were not interviewed before the decision, made on the basis of an email from the head rowing coach.
St Bede's website says it is a "Catholic community committed to providing an opportunity for every boy to be the best possible version of what God created him to be in all spheres - spiritually, academically, in sport and culture".
It also notes that "We have high expectations and a core set of values" and also says "we welcome communication to support your son's education".
Clearly, communication between the parents and the school was unable to resolve the situation, and it ended up in court. If a school has rules for students, it also needs to follow rules surrounding the consideration of an appropriate punishment for a misdemeanor. St Bede's didn't, and lost - a reminder of the perils and pressure that comes with setting an example for our young people.
