Long clarifies stance on criminalising school pupil confrontations

She had been quizzed about it during this week’s LGBTQIA+ panel discussion by John O’Doherty (for details on that, click here).

Mr O’Doherty, director of pressure group The Rainbow Project, had said: “If I walk out on the street and I punch someone in the face it’s a crime, and I’ll likely face prosecution for that.

“Someone punches someone in the face in school, it’s either ‘bullying’ or it’s ‘kids-being-kids’.

“How do we address this idea that kids within schools, particularly LGBTQI+ kids, can experience violence on a daily basis and it not be recognised as a crime?”

Naomi Long replied: “If somebody punches somebody in the face irrespective of where it takes place, it is a crime.

“How schools choose to handle that, how they engage with the parents, and how they then engage with the police and others around that obviously is something they need to look at really carefully.

“But if there’s a serious assault in a school or outside of a school, it is still a crime.

“We’ve seen that where for example, where a pupil has assaulted a teacher.

“We’ve seen it where a teacher has assaulted a pupil.

“And it should be no different where it’s pupils assaulting other pupils. That is clear.”

Asked if it is her position that any fights or physical confrontations in schools should now be police matters, the Alliance Party said: “Naomi Long stated clearly how such incidents are addressed with the pupils, parents and, where appropriate, the police, is a matter for the school, parents and pupils.

“Those parties have a right to report any incident to the police if they so wish, regardless of the school’s discipline policy.

“However, each may wish to address fights and physical confrontations occurring in school in a less formal way, by reference to the school’s discipline policy.

“That is their own prerogative.”

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