Students in revolt at Epsom Girls Grammar School, principal caught on secret recording after privacy breach
Epsom Girls Grammar principal Brenda McNaughton shared a former student’s private information, causing a privacy breach.
Some students claim the school feels like a “prison” and protest changes including increased periods and shorter lunch breaks.
The school is reviewing policies with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner following the breach.
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A top Auckland school principal has been caught on a secret recording telling staff “when others go low, we choose to go high” after a serious privacy breach involving a former student.
It comes amid a student revolt at Epsom Girls Grammar School (EGGS), with claims the college feels more like a “prison” than a place of learning.
Last Saturday, the Herald revealed principal Brenda McNaughton shared the name and confidential details of a former student who complained about disgraced music teacher Peter Thomas with another student’s father.
Following this reporting, an audio file appearing to be of McNaughton speaking to staff on Monday was provided to the Herald.
In the recording, she allegedly said: “As soon as we were aware of [the breach], we’ve been working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and following their advice right throughout.”
The school was reviewing policies and procedures, “certainly not starting from a position of deficit, but continually improving that space”.
She also acknowledged the “good work” she said the school had done regarding privacy.
“We are a large and very diverse community, and, in any large community, there are a small number who do get disgruntled, from time to time.”
The Herald, she told staff, did get one thing right - the description of EGGS as a “top school” in the headline.
“Our job, and what we do here at Epsom Girls Grammar School, is when others go low, we choose to go high.”
Speaking to the Herald on the condition of anonymity, an EGGS staffer said they believed McNaughton hadn’t acknowledged the mistake or taken responsibility.
They also said there had been no apology about the breach to staff.
Following Monday’s staff meeting about the privacy breach, the staffer was in “disbelief”.
“I was just so shocked, I couldn’t believe it.
“I don’t know who she was getting at with that ‘disgruntled’ comment, and, ‘When they go low we go high’. Who has gone low here? You have just been shown not to have been looking after the [privacy breach] victim. No one has gone low, it’s just the truth.”
The worker felt McNaughton cared more about protecting her own privacy than that of the former student.
‘Like a prison’
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On Tuesday, the Herald was sent an email signed by “24 anonymous” EGGS students.
In the correspondence, the students raise a list of grievances, including the increase next year from five daily periods to six, 30-minute lunch breaks and allegedly banning students from wearing thermals under their uniforms.
The email claims the school is trying to work students in to the ground.
The email also raised concerns about the privacy breach and the way confidential information was handled by the school.
The Herald was also sent an image of a poster displayed at the school featuring an image of a smiling man in handcuffs and a headline stating: “When your mum picks you up from school early”.
The poster included an image of McNaughton under the words “prime suspect”.
Underneath was a list taking aim at similar issues to those canvassed in the email.
“We, the students of Epsom Girls Grammar School, are protesting the potential changes in the process being made by principal McNaughton, which have made our school feel more like a prison than a place of learning.”
The document said changes to the timetable would cause confusion, and stricter rules made it harder to enjoy school.
“We believe school should be a place that helps us grow, not one that feels controlling and stressful. We deserve an environment where we can learn and express ourselves freely, without feeling restricted by unnecessary rules.
“We are asking for the school to rethink these changes and create a system that respects students’ needs and well-being. We want to feel safe, heard and supported, so we can thrive both academically and personally.”
The Herald repeatedly sought comment from the school this week but is yet to receive a response.
Recent school controversy
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Last year former EGGS teacher Peter Thomas lost his fight to keep details about his misconduct with a student secret and a Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal ruling against him was made public.
The tribunal evidence found Thomas “prevailed on [another student] to have sex with him, which ... was painful but to which she felt she could not say no”.
While the allegations of the sexual relationship between the former EGGS head of music and the girl had been publicised in 2021, it was only last year that the ruling could be shared.
After the ruling was shared a second former student came forward to the Herald alleging she too had complained about Thomas’ conduct.
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Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37.1% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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62.9% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
🎉 Riddle me this, legends! 🎉
He/She who makes it, sells it.
He/She who buys it, doesn't use it.
The user doesn't know they are using it.
What is it?
(Shezz from Ngāruawāhia kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Shezz!)
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The Bible Declares That God is Bringing Jews Back To Their Ancient Land of Israel
The Bible reveals that God has chosen and cherished one specific people and one specific land to serve as the stage for revealing His plan and purpose to all nations. As we read in Deuteronomy chapter 7, verse six, speaking of the Jews: “The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
God’s ultimate purpose is to transform the world by establishing His Divine Rule in His new Kingdom based in Jerusalem. This will occur when Jesus Christ returns as King during a time of great trouble. At that moment, God will intervene to save first the Jewish people from destruction and gather them from all parts of the earth. Upon Christ’s return, God will put out a Call to be universally honoured, and a lasting peace will finally be established throughout the World. This has been his design from Creation which was told to the Fathers of Isreal first and then to the rest of the World by the teaching of Jesus and then his disciples in the New Testament.
**Exile and the Promise of Return**
Today, the Jewish people have often been cursed and despised among the nations. However, the prophets foretold that when Jesus returns, God will settle them in the land of Israel in security and safety. The historical rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah resulted in their greatest exile from the land, a dispersion that has lasted for approximately two thousand years.
Yet, in direct fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies, God is now regathering the Jews to their ancestral homeland. As the prophet Isaiah declares, “For the Lord will have mercy upon Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land” (Isaiah 14:1). While Israel was scattered by God due to their failure to live obediently as His chosen nation, God promised He would never utterly forsake them. The prophet Ezekiel confirms this, stating,
“Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land” (Ezekiel 37:21).
**Fulfilment: The Modern State of Israel**
The promise of God to bring His people back to the land is proven and demonstrated by the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948. The Word of God declared,
“I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord, and I will cause them to return to the land” (Jeremiah 30:3).
Since 1948, we have witnessed Jews returning from all over the world to occupy the ancient land that was promised to the fathers of the nation: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This movement fulfils the words of Ezekiel:
“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
The undeniable return of the Jews to the land of Israel demonstrates that God is sovereignly guiding their destiny. Because we see these specific prophecies fulfilled, we can be assured that those prophecies yet to be fulfilled will also come to pass.
**God’s Unseen Hand in the Regathering**
The regathering of the Jews to the land of Israel is fundamentally the work of Almighty God in our time. It is not simply a political movement driven by the desire of the Jewish people to establish a nation and homeland. Rather, God’s unseen hand is behind the events that have led to the revival of the nation of Israel.
The Bible emphasises God’s personal involvement in this return through numerous passages:
- “Behold, I will save my people... and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:7-8).
- “I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return” (Jeremiah 30:10).
- “I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities” (Amos 9:14).
- “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel” (Micah 2:12).
**Conclusion: A Sign of Christ’s Return**
God is regathering Israel today. The very existence of the modern State of Israel is a clear and powerful sign that Almighty God is working amongst the nations. The Bible states that He “shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). This prophetic work is underway.
Israel sees their return as prophetical, but few understand that God will create events where first they will eventually be humbled by her neighbours before Christ returns as their Saviour. Read Ezekiel 38 & 39 to gain an incite as to what God's destiny fot Israel is.
We have seen for the last 125 years, the call for their return to their Homeland and its subsequent founding. This is God's reassurance to the World that He'll bring the World under His Blessing. Because of this, we can be confident that Jesus Christ will soon return to this earth to establish the Kingdom of God, a time of peace and plenty for every nation.
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