‘Violent’ pupil loses court bid to overturn expulsion

An “unusually strong” schoolboy has lost his urgent bid to be re-admitted to a Centurion high school, despite his claims that he was “bullied”, unfairly expelled and then refused re-entry.

Judge Sulet Potterill ruled in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday that the schoolboy’s application against the Sutherland High School was not urgent and struck it off the urgent court roll with costs.

The boy’s attorney, Morne du Preez, said the school had not followed prescribed rules when it recommended the boy’s expulsion after a disciplinary hearing which he did not attend and then refused him re-entry, despite the fact the education department had not confirmed the expulsion.

His parents were allegedly also not properly notified of the disciplinary hearing or that he had been expelled.

Du Preez said this meant that the boy would not be able to complete matric this year, as no other school in the area had space for him and his father could not afford a private college.

He said the school’s failure to forward the matter to the education department also deprived the boy of the right to an internal appeal.

The head of the school’s discipline committee, however, said in court papers it would be irresponsible to allow the boy back onto the school grounds as he had a long history of disciplinary problems and some of the students and teachers were afraid of him.

The straw which “broke the camel’s back” was an incident when he overturned a desk, injuring another pupil, after which his teacher laid a criminal charge against him.

Although the boy insisted the teacher had provoked and bullied him and denied that he was using steroids or drugs, the school said steroid or drug use might explain his “violent outbursts”.

“He is very muscular for his age and is a gym fanatic. This muscular form increased significantly in the past few months.

“… The applicant clearly has various behavioural and psychological difficulties and is a danger to himself and those around him,” the head of the discipline committee said.

He described the boy as “unusually strong for his age, insolent, insubordinate and confrontational”. The boy said he was “mostly being treated unfairly” and was working on these issues with a psychologist.

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