Parents and staff at an independent school in Far North Queensland say a brawl involving students allegedly armed with metal bars is just the latest episode in a saga of ongoing violence.
Queensland Police confirmed officers were called to Djarragun College at Gordonvale, in the southern suburbs of Cairns, where a number of teenage boys were involved in a large physical altercation on Monday.
A 17-year-old boy suffered head injuries and was taken to Cairns Base Hospital for treatment.
He has since been discharged.
Some of the teens were allegedly armed with metal bars taken from a nearby construction site.
No charges have been laid, but the school has been closed while investigations continue.
Djarragun College is run by Cape York Partnerships and has about 400 students enrolled from prep to year 12.
It also has a boarding facility that caters for young people from remote communities in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
'Completely lost control'
The mother of a Djarragun College student said her child had been seriously assaulted twice in recent weeks and that she was angry at the school for failing in its duty of care.
"These guys are supposed to be the guardians of my daughter while she's at school," she said.
"They can't even guarantee the staff safety.
"They've completely lost control of the students at the school.
"The staff have no control, the principal has no control."
The ABC has chosen not to identify the mother in order to protect her child's identity.
'Ready to snap at any time'
Staff members and others associated with Djarragun College also spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs and other retribution.
All of them described this week's brawl as typical of regular incidents of violent behaviour among students and alleged staff had been assaulted, repeatedly threatened and abused over the past 18 months.
A staff member said they held grave fears for the safety of both students and staff, while another described the school environment as "dangerous".
They say it is "only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured".
"A student or a staff member could die — we are at that point now," a staff member said.
"Monday's [incident] — that young person could have died.
"That could happen to any staff member at any given time, because these young people, because of their own trauma and their own behaviours, they are like elastic bands ready to snap at any time."
They said repeated requests to the school's principal and executive to address serious safety and cultural issues had been ignored and that the college was failing both students and staff by not providing a safe environment conducive to learning.
"All students across the school, they're learning – socially, emotionally, psychologically, academically – all kids are at risk here," a staff member said.
Probe underway, board says
Stephen Codrington, the chair of Djarragun College's board of directors, said the school was treating Monday's incident seriously and was conducting its own investigation.
"There were a number of kids involved and [we] need to make sure that there's procedural fairness, that everybody has an opportunity to give their side of the story," Dr Codrington said.
"From the board's point of view, we're on the same page as the management of the school — we want an environment where every student and teacher can feel safe and secure.
Independent Education Union Queensland branch secretary Terry Burke said Monday's incident further highlighted the need for significant and urgent intervention at the school.
"In the case of Djarragun College, our union has raised concerns about the safety of staff and students with the school employer in the last 18 months," he said.
"[We're] now seeking an urgent meeting with the employer to confirm the school's comprehensive risk management plan to protect staff and student safety and wellbeing."
