‘Innocent children are suffering’: Parents voice bullying fears at Kyabram P-12

And, *Chris’ mother, Veronica, has had enough.

A disturbing video recently shared on social media platforms, showing a physical altercation at Kyabram P-12 College, has intensified parental concerns.

In response, the school has implemented disciplinary measures against the involved students.

Veronica joins three other parents expressing their worries about recent bullying incidents at the Kyabram state school.

Chris, 16, walked through the school gates at the beginning of the 2025 year on Wednesday, January 29, like any other student.

Just weeks later, the bullying began.

First with seemingly childish acts like throwing half-eaten apples and wood, but it quickly escalated to more aggressive behaviours such as spitting, name-calling, physical shoving and being locked inside buildings.

On Friday, February 21, Chris was being shoved around before he “stood up for himself” and punched the other student in the face.

Chris is diagnosed with ADHD and chronic-PTSD, which means his senses become what Veronica describes as “heightened” in high-stress situations, which can trigger his “fight or flight response” in situations such as when he is being bullied.

The incident on that Friday would be only the beginning of Chris’ journey with his aggressors.

The next week, a group of students showed up at Chris’ house and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him over the fence.

It was the first time Veronica had to involve the police, but it wouldn’t be the last.

Veronica revealed that Kyabram P-12 College acknowledged the escalating bullying incidents and implemented a “student safety plan” designed to keep Chris away from his bullies.

“Is it going to take a death before something happens?”

However, the plan did not work.

The incidents came to a head on Tuesday, March 18, when Kyabram P-12 College students were filmed by a student fighting during school hours.

The video was posted on social media and showed a group of students crowded near fencing before a student began to push Chris.

One student was seen jumping in between them before being pushed out of the way by the student pushing Chris.

The student swung at Chris, and he retaliated by swinging back.

A fight then broke out between the two.

Two teachers attempted to intervene, but were either held or pushed back by other students.

Veronica said Chris came home that day with scratches on his face, a scratched eye and bruises on his chest.

Two other students who attempted to intervene in the incident ended up in the hospital: a school captain left with a dislocated shoulder, and another student ended up with a broken rib.

The ‘student safety plan’ assessed the place where the fight broke out was meant to be a ‘safe spot’ for Chris.

“These students are not meant to be there,” Veronica said.

“They don’t care about the safety plan. It’s just a piece of paper to them. Multiple times they’ve breached the order in two days,” she said.

Near where the fight broke out, written on the fence is the statement ‘Chris is dead’ engraved in the metal.

“It’s a crucial time of life to be getting career paths set, and yet I’ve had to take him out because he isn’t safe.”

Veronica said she was appalled at how the bullying had reached this point, and wondered how much longer it would take until the next big incident happened.

“Is it going to take a death before something happens? That’s what is written on the fence — that’s their plan, to kill my son, engraved on the fence.”

Veronica also expressed frustration over the limited communication from the school, revealing she had had to rely on other students contacting her directly to learn about some of these incidents.

She has taken Chris and her other children out of school three times since the beginning of the school year, and has requested remote learning to be set up for Chris so he can continue his education without fear of being bullied.

“My kids shouldn’t be missing school. My kids shouldn't have to be forced to change schools — it needs to stop,” she said.

Chris’ friend Adrian, 16, has also been a target of school bullying.

His mother, Lucy, said Adrian had been the victim of similar attacks, but it had now begun impeding on Adrian’s ability to learn.

“(The college) pulled Adrian out of Small Engines class because of the bullies — because they are always picking on him,” she said.

“(The class) was going to set him up for life because he’s not good academically, he’s good with hands-on learning.”

Deeply concerned for her son’s safety, Lucy has made the difficult decision to keep Adrian home from school since the filmed fight incident.

“(Teachers) can’t keep him safe,” she said.

“He’s 16 years old — it’s a crucial time of life to be getting career paths set, and yet I’ve had to take him out because he isn’t safe.

“(The school) seems to support the bullies ... they are getting handed everything because (the school) doesn’t want to ruin their lives — but hang on, what about the kids they’re picking on?

“They’re ruining their lives. They’re stopping their career choices. They’re stopping, well, let’s face it, confidence.”

Becca, 17, was one of the students injured while trying to break up the fight, and her mother, Jackie, is “not happy” with how the situation unfolded.

“I’m not happy that another child has put his hands on my daughter. There is no need for that,” she said.

Jackie said her child had heard from another student that a fight had broken out and had rushed over to help stop it.

Becca was “reefed out” of the way by one of the students involved in the fight, dislocating her shoulder in the process.

“She shouldn’t be getting hurt while trying to do the right thing. That’s not acceptable,” Jackie said.

She said kids who did the wrong thing had to be held to account.

“(Students) need to know that there’s going to be a consequence,” she said.

“If you’ve got other kids who are doing the wrong thing, and kids blocking the teachers from getting over there to step in between them, where is the accountability there?”

Response from Kyabram P-12 College

On the day of the filmed fight incident, college principal Marina Walsh released a letter addressed to parents and carers.

She wrote that safety and wellbeing for everyone on campus was the school’s “highest priority”.

“Any form of violent behaviour within our school is entirely unacceptable. This incident does not reflect the safe and supportive culture at our school or the behaviour of the majority of students,” Mrs Walsh wrote.

She said there would be “consequences” for students involved, and for students who filmed or were filmed using mobile phones, as it was against school policy.

Mrs Walsh wrote that teachers would be working with students involved to ensure they understood the required standards of behaviour and techniques of conflict resolution.

The Free Press contacted Mrs Walsh for comment about the filmed fight incident and the ongoing bullying claims.

Questions posed to Mrs Walsh included:

Mrs Walsh forwarded the questions to the Victorian Department of Education.

The following statement is from a spokesperson for the Department of Education:

“Violent behaviour is unacceptable in any Victorian school. Kyabram P-12 College has taken action in relation to the incident in line with Department of Education policies. The college is providing wellbeing support to impacted students,” they said.

“We remind content providers that publishing this type of material can have long-lasting harmful impacts on young people, and in particular the victims.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, contact the Kids Helpline. Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged five to 25.

Contact by calling on 1800 55 1800 or by reaching out through WebChat Counselling at kidshelpline.com.au/get-help/webchat-counselling