Schoolground fights posted on website

Jun 7 2007 By Graham Mann, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

VIOLENT footage involving St Margaret’s High School pupils has been posted on the video sharing website YouTube.

Last week the Advertiser discovered four violent video clips featuring children from Airdrie Academy - all of which have since been removed.

However, the YouTube headache looks set to continue for North Lanarkshire’s education authorities following the discovery of another punch-up.

This time two boys from the Airdrie secondary school can been seen punching and kicking each other.

The incident took place at Rawyards just a short walk from the school grounds and is arguably more violent than any of the other incidents.

The clip, which lasts 52 seconds, features two boys and has been viewed almost 9,000 times since it was up-loaded five months ago.

It starts off with the two boys squaring up to each other while a crowd gathers round. Then, all of a sudden, there is a loud cracking sound as one boy head-butts his rival, sparking a full-on fight.

Following last week’s report, Home Secretary John Reid made representations directly to YouTube and is awaiting a response.

The story also prompted a strong reaction from parents who were shocked at the level of violence in local schools.

One man said that he withdrew his son from Airdrie Academy due to severe bullying and he claimed there is a culture of violence at the school.

The parent, who did not wish to be named, said: “We were given an assurance that when the pupils moved to the new the school it would be easier to police these matters.

“However, it seems to me the problem with bullying has continued. The school say they have an effective policy in regard to these matters but implementation of the policy is a different matter.

“My son has a couple of friends who attend the school, and they say there are at least a couple of fights every lunch time.

“It got to the point where my son was terrified about the prospect of going to school.

“His academic work was being affected as a result and that left us with no choice but to move him to another school..”

Also, Airdrie man Brian Mathieson contacted the Advertsier to express his dismay at the images.

He said: “I am shocked, but not surprised, to read of the violent events going on in Airdrie Academy.

“While I agree YouTube should be brought to task on the material it makes readily available to the world, I feel we must focus on the sick behaviour of many of our children in this area today.

“The headmaster must take, or be allowed to take, the necessary action required to stop these thugs and the terror they inflict on good kids in this area. This must involve politicians and the police.”

Playground fights are, of course, an age-old and unwelcome problem but broadcasting the violence is a new twist which may well act as an incentive to youngsters eager to establish notoriety.

Just by typing the tag line ‘school fights’ into the YouTube search engine people can access over 17,000 clips from all over the world.

A large proportion are fairly innocuous but there are hundreds of videos which clearly show youngsters being beaten and humiliated in a school setting.

Brian Kelly, Education Officer, said: "As a responsible education authority, North Lanarkshire Council has a very clear policy on the use of mobile phones within the school environment and every school in North Lanarkshire complies with this policy.

“Pupils are not allowed to use their phones in classrooms or in corridors between classes and we also strongly advise pupils against using phones at intervals and lunch breaks and remind them that it is not appropriate to use phones to photograph or record images of other pupils without their express permission.

"This policy has been distributed to all pupils, parents and staff and the policy is displayed throughout schools to remind pupils of their responsibilities in relation to the use of mobile phones.

"Social media sites like YouTube have created problems for schools across the country and we do treat any material related to our schools very seriously indeed.

“When our schools have been featured, we have rigorously sought the removal of the offending materials, taken disciplinary action and involved the police where appropriate.

"We are also establishing procedures to allow easy contact with these websites so that, in any future event, we can request the removal of offending images or information easily and effectively.

"Video footage of incidents between pupils, which can verge on cyber-bullying, are of great concern and I would encourage anyone who views such footage to report it to the police."