Summarised by Centrist
ACT candidate Paul Henry has proposed giving teachers clearer authority to remove seriously disruptive pupils and use “reasonable and proportionate” physical intervention when necessary to prevent harm or property damage.
“Let’s be honest, there are a lot of little sh*** in classrooms, and we need to address that if we’re going to lift education standards,” Henry said.
The policy would also require the removal and possible suspension of students who assault staff or classmates. Parents who repeatedly refuse to attend mandatory meetings could face fines of up to $3,000.
Education Minister Erica Stanford called the proposal “simplistic”, but conceded ACT has a point.
Teachers already possess legal authority to remove disruptive students, she said, but often do not use it because their training has been “woeful”.
On Monday, Stanford announced $21.7 million to expand classroom-based teacher training, saying only one in five principals believes new graduates are ready for the classroom. The programme will give trainees more time in schools to develop practical skills under experienced teachers.
Labour and the PPTA warn that the proposal could result in untrained staff physically removing vulnerable students.
Editor’s note: Stanford calls ACT’s classroom policy “simplistic”, yet National’s proposed social media ban may be an even clearer example. Enforcing it could require widespread age verification or digital identification, potentially ending online anonymity for every New Zealander in the name of protecting children. ACT and New Zealand First have refused to support it partly because of that potential overreach. It feels like the pot calling the kettle black.
Perhaps ultimately, the question is not whether teachers should be allowed to drag children around. It is whether the education system will consistently back teachers when a student’s behaviour makes learning impossible for the other students.
The necessary powers may technically exist, but powers that teachers do not understand, trust or feel supported to exercise are of little practical value.
