Parents at a Canberra primary school are experiencing heightened anxiety about campus security after a young student brought a knife onto school grounds, raising concerns about weapon safety in educational environments.
Incident Details and School Response
The concerning event occurred at Neville Bonner Primary School where staff members quickly intervened to control the situation. According to principal Felicity Levett, no students or staff sustained injuries during the incident that took place in late November 2025.
In communications sent to affected families, Ms Levett emphasized that "staff were able to get the situation under control safely and quickly" and confirmed the school is providing support to both the students involved and their family.
The Education Directorate spokesperson revealed that a suspension was issued following the weapon-related incident, noting that suspensions in public schools serve to maintain safe learning environments rather than function as punitive measures.
Parental Anxiety and Safety Measures
One concerned parent, who wished to remain anonymous, described significant changes to their daily routine since learning about the knife incident. "I used to drop my kids off early to school... now I'm staying there until the bell has gone, because I feel paranoid," the parent shared.
The parent expressed difficulty comprehending safety concerns involving primary-aged children, stating "I'm struggling to wrap my head around that I need to be concerned about other students who aren't even in high school yet."
Many families have initiated difficult conversations with their young children about weapon safety. "I had to teach them, if you see someone bring a knife to school, you run and you go to a teacher," the parent explained, highlighting the uncomfortable reality of discussing such topics with primary school children.
Communication and Transparency Concerns
The school's communication strategy following the incident has raised questions among the parent community. While families in the same year level as the student received immediate notification and follow-up correspondence, parents from other year levels were not formally informed about the weapon-related event.
This selective communication approach has prompted calls for greater transparency regarding potential violence in school settings. The concerned parent noted "It just feels like there's so much complacency about students being dangerous in schools, I don't expect it at a primary school."
The parent also voiced worries about potential escalation, questioning whether more dangerous weapons could eventually appear on campus given modern technological capabilities.
Official Policies and Support Systems
An Education Directorate spokesperson reinforced that "any instance of violence at an ACT public school is not acceptable" and weapons remain strictly prohibited on school grounds.
The spokesperson outlined multiple strategies schools employ to address challenging student behavior, including:
- Personalized behavior plans
- Counseling and wellbeing support
- Temporary suspension from school
- Referral to ACT police when appropriate
Neville Bonner Primary School maintains a comprehensive social emotional wellbeing curriculum designed to foster strong relationships between staff, students, and the broader community. The Directorate declined to provide additional specifics about the knife incident, citing privacy considerations for the students involved.
As the school community processes this event, parents continue to balance their children's safety with the desire to maintain normal childhood experiences in what should be a protected educational environment.
