SomeWairarapa secondary schools have contingency plans in place to deal with the unlikely event of a campus invasion by disgruntled rival school pupils.
Two incidents in New Zealand schools within a week that have seen pupils pitched against each other, with weapons, have highlighted the need for school security.
The first was
in west Auckland where eight young Mt Roskill people armed with a baseball bat stormed into Lynfield College and sorted out a 14 year old, beating him up.
Mt Roskill Grammar has since suspended five pupils over the assault.
Then on Wednesday about 20 Mana College pupils armed with a baseball bat and metal bars charged into rival Porirua secondary school Bishop Viard College and threatened pupils on the rugby field.
Kuranui College principal Geoff Shepherd said staff had ironically discussed school safety just prior to the first incident.
"This week we went through it again, the two incidents re-inforced what we had talked about."
Mr Shepherd said Kuranui has an emergency lock-down procedure.
" Thankfully we have never had to enact it, but we practiced it last year and it's there if we need it."
The lock-down involves a " particular signal" being invoked that alerts students to staying indoors, locking doors and seeking shelter under their desks.
Mr Shepherd said for out-of-class hours, such as morning interval and the lunch break, the college relies on staff on campus patrol and senior pupils who have a role to play.
"I would think a problem at Kuranui would be very unlikely.
"I am sure these incidents are ones that had been boiling up for some time and I am confident our pupils would let staff know if problems were looming."
Kuranui has a strict policy when it comes to all visitors.
Nobody is allowed to wander round the school but are required to sign in at the office.
"That includes parents and ex-pupils, everyone."
The school has had a long association with Mana College through rugby exchanges although this year there was no inter-college contest.
" But next year we are likely to return to the Wellington schools competition and start playing Mana again."
Likewise Wairarapa College has an emergency procedure plan to cope with unforeseen circumstances.
Principal Mike Schwass said it was a lock-down procedure that all staff are very familiar with.
He said there has been no opportunity to have any sort of formal discussion with staff over safety in light of recent school invasion events elsewhere in the country.
In the aftermath of the two school invasions the president of the Secondary Principals Association Peter Gall has spoken out about the apparent escalation of problems over fights at school.
Mr Gall said there was anecdotal evidence of weapons being involved more frequently and has recommended that teachers faced with school brawls should look after their own safety.
If it was obviously not safe to get involved teachers should stay out of it and call for police help instead.
SomeWairarapa secondary schools have contingency plans in place to deal with the unlikely event of a campus invasion by disgruntled rival school pupils.
Two incidents in New Zealand schools within a week that have seen pupils pitched against each other, with weapons, have highlighted the need for school security.
The first was
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