Last Thursday, limited statutory manager Ben Nettleton assumed powers and duties to assist the board around establishing policies, communications and powers of employment.
His appointment, by the Ministry of Education, and requested by the school board, comes on the back of a series of schoolyard bullying incidents.
The parent of one bullied child was elated when the Oamaru Mail informed her of the new developments.
In fact, her daughter had been assaulted twice, she told the Oamaru Mail.
"The last time was very violent and it wasn’t her fault, but she was made to feel like it was.
"To be honest, I don’t even want her at that school ... it’s just out of control," she said.
However, as she is not Catholic, St Kevin’s College, the town’s only other high school, is unable to take her.
The news also prompted fellow parent Zara Murphy to come forward and talk about her her gifted and neurodivergent 14-year-old daughter, who faced persistent bullying, verbal sexual harassment, inappropriate comments from teachers, and physical assault, including being pushed down stairs.
"She was experiencing really horrific sexually-based name calling and anytime I tried to pursue it through the appropriate chains — teacher, dean, principal — it ended up with somebody else and it was really difficult," she said.
"Then, at the first lot of parent-teacher interviews we had a very inappropriate situation with a male teacher on staff.
"He made really horrendously inappropriate comments in front of my daughter about her worth as a person — there was also really inappropriate comments made about women’s bodies in the classroom."
Things then got worse.
"She then witnessed an incident of a terrible attack.
"One of the girls from Waitaki Girls’ got off the bus and immediately launched into a really awful assault on another pupil.
"Soon towards the end of term two, my daughter again was pursued by a group of girls.
"She was pushed down some stairs. She was OK, but it caused enough of an upset they removed her from the class.
"I couldn’t understand why she was being penalised for something really awful that had happened to her.
"I tried to stress that it was an assault. They pulled camera footage just shortly prior to the event. Everything was done to cover it up.
"My daughter was devastated that they didn’t believe her. There were witnesses to it."
It was then she pulled her daughter out.
Both women also mentioned the school’s "bizarre" rules about restricting bathroom use, with many bathrooms closed and girls denied permission to use the toilet.
Ms Murphy said her daughter had an experience in class where a fellow student asked to go to the bathroom and was told, no, even though she told the teacher she had blood running down her legs.
"And then it became my daughter’s own experience, being timed while she was in the bathroom."
Responding on Monday, Mr Nettleton said WGHS is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students.
"We take concerns raised by members of our community seriously and are focused on ensuring that every student feels supported and valued.
"While we are unable to comment on individual cases due to privacy and legal obligations, we want to reassure our community that all matters brought to our attention are addressed through appropriate channels.
"This includes pastoral care, disciplinary processes, and, where necessary, engagement with external support services.
"It is important to highlight the broader context: as a public school, Waitaki Girls’ High School is required to accept all students who reside within its enrolment zone.
"In a small number of cases, students may require additional support or resources to fully engage in their learning.
"While we work to meet these needs within the school, it is important to acknowledge that alternative education options are currently limited within our local community.
"We have identified this as an urgent area of focus and are working with the community to help develop a solution.
"The wellbeing of our students is our highest priority.
"We continue to review and strengthen our policies and practices to ensure they reflect best practice and meet the evolving needs of our learners.
"We encourage any current families with concerns to contact the school directly so that we can work together to support our students.
"My role is really just to help work with the community and I’m looking forward to engaging with them through this process."
No staffing changes had been made and Mr Nettleton reassured parents and caregivers that day to day operations or classroom activity.
The board remains in place and will retain "its primary duty of care as a person conducting a business or undertaking, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015".
