Wellington Girls’ College pupils will learn from home this week after growing concerns about student safety surrounding the protest at Parliament.
In a message to students and their families on Tuesday night, principal Julia Davidson said the board of trustees decided students will not return to school until after February 28.
“The board will reconvene on Sunday to reassess the situation and we will be in touch after that meeting,” Davidson said.
She listed several reasons to keep her students at home until next week, including safety when walking to and from public transport and the lack of mask use from protesters.
“Up until yesterday, staff have been volunteering for extra duty before and after school to ensure that the many hundreds of students who travel by trains and buses had a safe passage to and from school,” Davidson said.
“We asked the staff to let us know when this no longer felt ok for them. At a meeting this afternoon they have made us aware that they no longer feel safe doing this.”
Davidson added: “They are continually abused, filmed and people try to engage them in conversation without wearing masks.”
She said the situation along and near Molesworth St, just one block from the college, was becoming “volatile”.
“The situation is increasingly volatile and we have real concerns about how we could care for the students were something to happen during the school day.”
Davidson said the lack of masks used at the Thorndon shops had also left students and staff feeling “really uncomfortable”.
“We are hearing from numerous parents, students and staff that they feel unsafe in Thorndon at present. The mood has changed and today seems to be a tipping point,” she said.
Moving forward, Davidson hopes police, Wellington City Council and the Ministry of Education will help to “maintain a safe route” for students.
Students will be given a working from home timetable and can access the school tomorrow for any items they may need.
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