Student suspended after ‘humiliating’ filming incident at Canterbury high school

A student was suspended from a Mid Canterbury high school after a serious incident in which another young man was reportedly filmed and deliberately humiliated.

The incident occurred at Mount Hutt College, Methven, and was described as “incredibly serious” in an email sent to parents today by Principal Jack Saxon.

“Earlier today we had an incident at school where a student filmed another student, without his permission, with the intent to humiliate him, and then made him available to multiple contacts, including contacts from our broader community,” Saxon said in the email. to the Herald.

“This incident is incredibly serious and has the potential to significantly affect the victim’s well-being both now and in the future.

“We are in contact with the police and Netsafe on the matter and have been advised to direct anyone who received the video to remove the material immediately.”

Saxon said the offending student was suspended and would have to appear at a hearing before the Board of Trustees.

“Given the seriousness of this matter … further investigation is underway to determine whether the student acted alone and whether additional disciplinary action is possible depending on the results of this investigation,” Saxon said.

“At the end of the day, our primary role as educators is to create a safe environment, both physically and mentally, for the students who come here.

“We will continue to do everything in our power, including using the most serious disciplinary consequences at our disposal, to ensure that we achieve this.”