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Source: ONE News -
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The student behind a Facebook group attacking the principal of
the one of the country's biggest schools has taken the webpage
down.
The campaign against the head of Burnside High School in
Christchurch is attracting police attention as some of the posts
could be breaking the law.
The Facebook group's page is called "I Hate Burnside's New Principal!!!" and some of the comments on it are defamatory and obscene while others make extreme allegations, like plans by the new principal to ban mufti, when no such decision is being considered.
Conan Fe, Burnside High Board of Trustees says they are "shocked by the nature of the comments and things on the webpage".
The page was set up after students were disgruntled with new principal Warwick Maguire for making some changes to the school.
The police are looking at the site and have warned those commenting to watch what they say.
Martin Cocker from NetSafe says it is a crime to threaten to harm somebody in New Zealand.
"It's a crime under the Crimes Act, so if people have recorded that, they could be in trouble with the police."
But it's not all negative for Maguire, who went to Burnside from Wanganui High School, where he had been principal since 1994.
Burnside students' supporters of the new principal have come out in support of their principal and supporters from his former school have launched their own Facebook page.
Joy Clark, a supporter from Wanganui High School, says Maguire is a good, honourable man and an excellent principal
"Someone's just been on the page now saying historically he's possibly the best principal Wanganui's has ever had," Clark said.
ONE News has been in touch with the year-12 student who started the Facebook page.
He texted to say he is making no more comment.
But his teachers say he never imagined his actions would spiral into such a public realm and he is withdrawing the page tonight.
Whether or not he will be punished, is to be decided by Maguire himself, when he returns from leave later this week and the student expects to be in the principal's office later in the week.
