Summarised by Centrist
Often composed of elected parent, staff, and student representatives, school boards are essential to ensuring schools meet their obligations. They have a wide-range of duties from overseeing the curriculum to keeping students safe.
But their role is not without controversy, especially when it comes to health and safety issues.
According to legal experts, school boards are treated as legal entities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, meaning they can be held accountable for failings but not prosecuted individually. As one lawyer puts it, ‘The Act doesn’t stop you from doing things, but it requires schools and boards to think about hazards.’
Every school in New Zealand operates under a board of trustees, which is responsible for governance, including administration, finance, and health and safety. A recent example involved Whangārei Boys’ High School, whose board pleaded guilty to charges of exposing students to risk after a fatal accident on an outdoor trip.
Changes are now underway to refocus board priorities. The government is consulting on proposed changes to school objectives, including removing references to children’s rights and adding an emphasis on student attendance.
