Racial Sensitivity May Have Caused Classroom Stabbing

Despite allegations that are students were told not to speak to the media on threat of expulsion further details are leaking out about the shocking classroom stabbing yesterday of teacher David Warren at Avondale College. A 17 year old student at the college Tae Won Chung appeared in court today and was denied bail.

This from the NZ Herald
by Beck Vass

"Joke about South Korea"

"...Students told the Herald Mr Warren's attacker was a Korean national who principal Brent Lewis said had been at the school "three or four weeks". [note: the student was at the school for the whole of 2008, see below]

One student, who did not want to be named under threat of expulsion, said an incident had taken place at the school on Monday.

"Yesterday, some kids in that class said [the teacher] must've said a joke about South Korea - and that guy's from South Korea."

The 20-student class were studying NCEA level two and three Japanese.

Mr Warren was stabbed just below his right shoulder while writing on a whiteboard, standing with his back to the class.

A student who had been waiting to see the nurse said a teacher and another pupil had burst in, shouting that a teacher had been stabbed.

"We were in the nurse's room and one of the students in the class and a teacher came in shouting for the nurse to come, someone's been stabbed - they said he was on the floor.

"The nurse left and the bells went off."

Police and ambulance services arrived shortly after, and Mr Warren was taken to Auckland Hospital in a serious condition.

Mr Lewis said he knew nothing of claims that a racial remark had triggered the attack."

Incident the previous day

"However, one teacher said staff were told that "an incident" had occurred between Mr Warren and his alleged attacker in class on Monday.

Students gave different assessments of Mr Warren's teaching style.

One told TV3's Campbell Live Mr Warren, 49, was "all right".

"He would pick on [me] - because I'm Japanese myself - he picked on Japanese people because he expected us to know Japanese.""

Teacher's "usual comments" offended students

"Another told the Herald some of Mr Warren's "usual" comments had the potential to offend.

"If we're running in the hall, he'll say: 'You, the big Islander one over there, get over here'."

Parents arrived early to collect students who witnessed the attack. Many of the teens had their faces covered with jerseys.

Mr Warren was still in Auckland hospital when the Herald visited his Waterview home last night.

His flatmate, who asked not to be named, said Mr Warren was a "very kind man" who is very fit and often rode his bicycle to school."

Student's parents are on the way to NZ

The Herald reported at 12.35pm today that the parents of the student arrested for the stabbing are on their way to New Zealand from Korea. It also stated that the student was neither new to the school nor New Zealand.

by Vaimoana Tapaleao, Beck Vass and Edward Gay

"At the court this morning, Korean consulate staff member Jun Lee said the schoolboy's family were on their way to New Zealand from South Korea.

Mr Lee said he was in court this morning to provide support for the homestay family,

One member of the family told nzherald.co.nz that the accused schoolboy had been in New Zealand for two years and at Avondale College all of 2008.

She said he was also in Mr Warren's class last year. Avondale College yesterday said the student had been at the school just three or four weeks.

Court has been adjourned and the accused has yet to appear."

Additional information:

• Identity politics behind school stabbing?: Link
• Online (Soompi) community comments on racism in NZ schools: Link
• Reader comments Korea Post.co.nz (Korean) : Link
  
• Racist remarks drove student to react: Link
  
• Chosun.com coverage (Korean): Link
  
• Bullying in NZ's Schools: Link
• More On Violence in New Zealand Schools: Link
• Racist reporting of the event in the media: Link
• Teachers at school gates telling students not to talk to the media:Link
• Levels of risk for NZ teachers gets higher every day: Link
• Suburb going down the tubes: Link
• 37,500 schoolchildren have severe forms of destructive & challenging behaviour. Link

Teacher Stabbed in Auckland Classroom

In an incident that has echoes of similar attacks in countries such as the UK a male high school teacher has been stabbed in his classroom at a New Zealand high school.

The stabbing occurred at Avondale College, Auckland.

Source NZ Herald

David Warren, a Caucasian 50 year old teacher taking a Japanese class, was stabbed in the back by a student whilst writing on a classroom whiteboard.

Initial reports were that he was in a serious condition but later news is that is he is expected to leave hospital soon.

Police have arrested a 17 year old Korean student in connection with the attack.

College was in Lock Down; Students told not to speak to media

The Herald stated that

"...One reader emailed nzherald.co.nz to say that her daughter was a student at the school and had been locked in the college's squash courts while police searched for the teacher's attacker.

Avondale College principal Brent Lewis told nzherald.co.nz students had been asked not to speak to the media but said reports they would be expelled if they did so were untrue.

He said school would continue as normal tomorrow..."

Earlier in the day this appeared on Stuff.co.nz

"The teacher - 'Mr Warren', according to information given to students - was taken to Auckland Hospital in a serious condition with wounds to the top of his back. The incident happened at 11.42am.

"A student stabbed a teacher in the back while he was writing on the whiteboard," a police spokesman said. The student then "just walked off".

A police statement said a 17-year-old international student was found at a Blockhouse Bay property about an hour after the stabbing and was being spoken to by police. An associate of the Korean teenager - who had only been at Avondale College for a couple of weeks - was also at the home and assisting police.

About 20 students were in the class at the time of the stabbing - the third period of the school day - and are receiving counselling.

One shocked student being propped up by her father was led from the school gates about an hour after the stabbing. Too upset to speak to media, she only nodded when asked if she'd seen the teacher be stabbed.

The classroom where the stabbing happened has been cordoned off.

College principal Brent Lewis said the school was now in "lockdown". While the incident was very upsetting, he now had to concentrate on dealing with students and staff."

Residents fed up with Avondale College students brawling

31 October 2008

Source Stuff.co.nz

"A Highbury St resident told the Avondale Community Board on Tuesday that fights between up to 40 Avondale College students have taken place.

On two occasions last term police were called in to break up or prevent fights in the cul-de-sac street, which students use as a thoroughfare to the school.

The resident, who didn’t want to be named, said students also smoke outside homes, damage private property, and verbally abuse neighbours.

"These serious fights are scary for residents," she said."

2006 Stabbings

In October 2006 Manaola Kaumeafaiva (14) died and a 16 year old youth was stabbed in the arm in what police called a "random act of fatal violence" outside the college following a church run hip-hop competition held in the auditorium. 16 year old Petani Fa’avae was later sentenced to a life sentence for the murder.

At the time of the murder a TVNZ report said:

"Although the stabbings don't appear to be gang related, many in West Auckland are concerned about rising violence among groups of youth.

Police say the two victims do not have gang connections, didn't know their attacker and it is not thought that they even knew each other.

The two boys were students of Avondale College."

Wikipedia entry for Avondale College:

"currently one of the largest secondary schools in New Zealand with 2,654 students, with 108 of those being international students[1]. There is a large cultural diversity within the school, with an ethnic composition of New Zealand European/ Pākehā 28%, Māori 9%, Samoan 15%, Chinese 12%, Indian 9%, other Asian 7%, other European 5%, Tongan 4%, Niuean 3%, other Pacific 2%, Other 6%. Around 50 different countries are represented in the student body and each of these is represented by a flag in the gymnasium.

The principal of Avondale College and head of the 179 teachers is Brent Lewis. Many staff members of Avondale College come from Britain...

Avondale has a sister school in Japan called Daito Bunka, which is a preparatory school for Daito Bunka University, Tokyo."