Flaxmere College student's bashing shocks mother

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Fri, 16 Dec 2011 6:16p.m.

The fight was recorded on cellphone

The fight was recorded on cellphone

By Michael Morrah

WARNING: Video contains pictures which some might find disturbing.

A 14-year-old school girl is in hospital with spinal injuries after being attacked on school grounds by a group of fellow students at Flaxmere College in Hawke's Bay.

The brutal beating was filmed on a cellphone and three girls have since been expelled from the school.

But the girl's mother says her daughter could have been killed, and has criticised school staff for not calling police or an ambulance in the aftermath of the fight.

A warning the pictures in this exclusive story are disturbing.

Adriana Kemp's spine is fractured. She's in Hawke's Bay hospital in pain, and will face weeks of rehabilitation.
It was interval at school. In the video, Adriana is the one in the blue jersey, her attacker in the white.

Adriana is eventually forced to the ground. The attack continues, only this time another girl joins in.

"I cant believe that anything like this would happen at school," says her mother, Moana Hawkins. "You trust your children to go to school to be looked after, and it just didn't happen."

Ms Hawkins has been at the hospital's children's ward with her daughter every day since it happened.

"It was bad enough finding out she got attacked, but when I saw the video, I broke down. I would not wish that on any mother to see what I saw."

She says on the day the fight happened, she got a text message.

"We were getting ready for prizegiving, it was her prizegiving, we were about 20 minutes away when her dad got a text message saying she got gang-bashed, come down and pick her up."

Ms Hawkins says she's angry at the school's lack of action after the assault.

"I asked them if they could ring police – they said I had to. I said we should call an ambulance, and they said I should take her to the doctor's, so I was pretty angry at that, really angry."

The school's principal says an ambulance wasn't called because Adriana's family arrived quickly and said they'd take her to A&E..

But that isn't good enough for Ms Hawkins. She says her daughter won't be going back to the college, and while her daughter had planned to spend Christmas with her grandma, it's likely she'll be in hospital.

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Comments

10 Apr 2012 04:42p.m.

Observer wrote:

Although this is a very serious incident, it is far from isolated. Schools across the world are causing media frenzies by recording school fights and posting them onto the web. It is not only the outcome of the fight that is detrimental, but the soul-destroying effects from the embaressment for those that lose the fight. This fight was intended to cause emotional harm upon the physical torment using the web, and there were rumors that this fight was fully organized, among many other Flaxmere College fights.
The majority of Flaxmere College students have many complex issues. They are surrounded by gangs, live in low-income areas or homes, have few positive role models and are intimidating towards their teachers and the community. The student's influences are all around them, they are being fashioned and groomed into gangsters even as hard as the teachers try divert them.
The fight that occured here was a staged event as students at Flaxmere College want to show their physical prowess which stems from the way they have been treated in the past. Aggression is their only outlet as they are frustrated at their lack of true achievements; therefore winning a fight possesses more value and meaning than winning a qualification.
The staff could have done better on the procedural reporting aspect. Students should not be sent straight home after suffering concussion! At least they should have notified everyone necessary to neutralize the situation and restore some order to the ensuing chaos.
This is a wake up call for New Zealand. If our schools are going to become a training ground for mobsters, thugs, pugilists, criminals and hustlers, the future of this country is in trouble.
Adults need to enforce correct behaviours and show them that violence is not the way.
If these kids need somewhere to release some aggressive energy, get them into sport or martial arts quickly.
There is a growing concern for the future children of NZ and this needs to be addressed ASAP.

26 Jan 2012 01:05p.m.

onetriber wrote:

what goes around comes around,and what those girls did will come back and bite them in the butt two times harder...those teachers seem to be more about having their morning breaks and lunch breaks...they ain't teachers, they are just rip off's...and to Kendrick, you must think bullying doesn't happen...guess what? It does. Instead of talking crap, why don't you do something head girl?...or do you give brain...

18 Jan 2012 11:35a.m.

Charlesirene Kendrick wrote:

Why do you hate Flaxmere College, if the college was in another community this school would not have the reputation it has today. It being surrounded with gang members doesn't help. Adrianna turned up in the office saying she had a sore eye and she walked all the way from the field to the office asking for a ice pack ?. so the office ladies did. I don't get how this turned to be the schools fault.

31 Dec 2011 12:30p.m.

Rebecca wrote:

why do students bully other students they shouldnt!!!!! i hate flaxmere college!!

27 Dec 2011 02:07p.m.

mihi ferrall wrote:

i to also agree with charlie as i also am a student of flaxmere college i attend as an adult student an this is my second time being back at flax col but this time as a mother school violence at flaxmere college has decreased alot since i was last there back in 08 i now attend at flax col as a mother an has seen that heaps has changed since i was 15 yeaht i say bullying isnt the solution to any problem

25 Dec 2011 09:20a.m.

Charlesirene Kendrick wrote:

I was the Head Girl at Flaxmere Colllege in 2011. And i can confidentally say that i know she did not deserve for her back to break her back but in saying that she was a bully at the school and she was very racist against white skinned people. This girl was given many opportunites to change her attitude. The teachers will not refuse to ring the ambulance, the would bend over backwards for any of the students that were hurt.I do feel sorry for Adrianna but if she had not retaliated as she did and tried to run the school and think she could beat everyine up and walk around the skewl this incident could have been avoided. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. But obviously her mates didn't even seem to care, they just stood there and did nothing. Teachers should have reacted earlier but only a few juniors at skewl ( the naughty ones) only 2 teahcers were on duty. Most staff were at a splashplanet trip with the good students. It shows us how many different views peopla have. to the girls who had given her a hiding have been expelled. And to the lady who walked around at lunchtime your statement is false, there were to members of my student executive team walking around at luchtime and intervals with two members of the staff. I have to say that Flaxmere College has the bad reputation because of the community it is in, it is not the school it is the students and the parents of these students who choose not to do anything, they need help at home before they come to school. So Good Things do happen at Flaxmere College because i and alot of other students have been making local newspapers. So i think you should all re think what you have sayin. Louise Anaru is an excellent principal. This incident could have been avoided when Adrianna was going to be expelled but she thought to give her another chance because of her bullying towards white people. I hpe you get better adriana but you personally know that this incident was your fault. You know who i am so i hope you understand..

22 Dec 2011 01:59p.m.

BobTheBuilder wrote:

School's pricipals and staff don't care. When my eldest son was in his first and second year (Hamilton), they had 1 hr long lunch breaks during which they were completely on their own. Unattended. The so called "teacher on duty" was supposed to be around but in fact was never around. I checked each time - they were all in teacher's staff room enjoying lunch and chatting, accompanied by the principal himself. I made at least 12 suprise lunch time visits only to find my child wondering at the edge of a football field. I was never questioned who I am and what I am doing on school ground. Any verbal complaints to the principal ended nowhere. First time when he realised I am just a parrent and not from any official body (he looked carefully at my staff card), he started treating me as a trouble maker and played being busy... So we trasferred to a different school. When we transferred we received no letter, no phone call - nothing. Teach your children effective self-defence. What happend to this girl - is the principal's fault. He/she has to be fired without any right to work in schools again.

20 Dec 2011 12:24a.m.

Rach wrote:

@ Dwayne, yes the police should be called!!! and unless you are a medically qualified and up to date with training then you have no right to refuse medical treatment, that include but is not limited to calling an ambulance, she asked if she should call an ambulance and was told no. Is it not true that you can be charged with failing to provide the proper and adequate care for your own children maybe the school should be charged with that.....

19 Dec 2011 06:45p.m.

Rayne wrote:

@ Ian Mac: had they rung the ambo her injuries may have been checked thoroughly at the hospital, however her compalaints of pain weren't taken seriously firstly by the school then misjudged by her GP. The parent followed advice of professionals. Unfortunately us parents do trust these professionals. Good on her parent for repeatedly taking her back until she got dealt with properly! Bottom line tv3 has reported the necesaary facts you don't need to know every lil detail!

19 Dec 2011 12:59p.m.

tuatara4 wrote:

Come on!!! This isn't bullying - This is blatant Assault and battery!!! Take note of the attackers behaviour and the agression delivered with every strike. Just another one of societies juvenile delinquents....