3. MOANA MACKEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What reports, if any, has he received on the possibility of a student attending school after being charged with a serious offence?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
I have seen and heard a media statement made by Mr Bill English saying a school will be forced to take back a student who is on bail, following serious charges being laid against that student. That report was completely wrong. The report and the member’s subsequent comments have put the school and its families in a very difficult position. As a result, the board of trustees has had to deal with a large number of media inquiries to defend its reputation. If Mr English had taken the simple step of contacting my office, he could have found out the facts for himself.
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I was kept up to date throughout the weekend with developments. The Ministry of Education worked with the police and the school over the weekend. The ministry helped the school prepare to deal with the media attention brought about by Mr English’s comments. The ministry’s Group Special Education people assisted the school on Monday with its students and community, in the aftermath of Mr English’s irresponsible comments. I issued a clarifying statement on Monday morning to clear up the misinformation from Mr English. This instance serves to remind all of us in the House how careful we must be to check our facts, before commenting publicly on difficult situations and therefore making distressing situations more fraught.
Hon Tau HenareWhen the Minister became aware of the situation, why did he not say publicly that the student, who is on bail for murder, would not be allowed back into a mainstream classroom?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
If the member cares to check the Herald on Sunday he will realise that my office was contacted, and I commented. But, of course, I am limited in what I can say, because, unlike Mr English, I did not intend to break the law. [] Let me be clear: if I had done what that member asked for, I would have broken the law in the same way that Mr English tentatively has done.
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
The confusion is a direct result of the statements made by Mr English. I heard Mr English say on National Radio, firstly, that the board of trustees was taking it seriously enough to have an emergency meeting; secondly, that the board clearly thought it must deal with the issue; and, thirdly, that this board of trustees knew that it had to deal with it. When asked whether he had spoken to the board, so he knew that, he said: “Ah, no, I haven’t.” He further said that Steve Maharey should not make the college accept the student with those charges. When he was asked whether he had spoken to me about my actions, he said: “Ah, no, I haven’t.” That is where the confusion came from.