Student fight prompts govt response

The frequency of teen fights recorded on mobile phones and broadcast on social media sites are concerning Education Queensland.

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CLAIMS a sickening fight between two teenage girls in a Pialba car park was sparked by schoolyard bullying has sent Education Queensland into damage control.

Yesterday the Chronicle released disturbing footage of two 13-year-old girls struggling on the ground while a group of teens cheered and filmed on their mobile phones.

Teens who witnessed the fight said they believed the girls first became enemies when one of them had their pants flushed down the toilet at Hervey Bay High School.

Soon after, the girls came face to face in a public area on Saturday afternoon and began fighting.

The video shows both girls kicking, punching and pulling at each other’s hair.

Girls and boys can be heard cheering and encouraging the pair. Several can be seen capturing the footage on their mobile phones.

A spokeswoman for Education Queensland said the department was aware of “an incident that took place off school premises and outside of school hours” but could not comment further as the incident was under police investigation.

The Chronicle understands neither girl involved in the fight attended school yesterday but the spokeswoman would not confirm whether they had been suspended.

While police were not called to the scene and several reports suggest that neither girl wishes to make a formal complaint, the video gives a local angle on the global trend of teens filming fights for entertainment.

Though Education Queensland did not address the incident specifically, the spokeswoman did send out a response with the same few lines fed to the media the minute the word bullying finds its way into the press.

“Education Queensland does not tolerate bullying or aggressive behaviour,” the spokeswoman said.

“All students and their parents are made aware of the expectations of appropriate behaviour through each school’s Responsible Behaviour Plan for students, developed in consultation with the school community.”