Students have been sent home after a sudden death at Queen Charlotte College in Picton.
Students at a high school in Picton are being sent home after a teacher died suddenly on Friday morning. Queen Charlotte College principal Betty Whyte confirmed the sudden death on Friday and said students would be sent home for the rest of the day. She could not confirm the teacher’s identity until next-of-kin were notified, she said. St John Marlborough territory manager Murray Neal said an ambulance was in attendance and a helicopter had been sent.
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“We assessed the risk, we went through checks, followed procedure and put some things in place, including that he would be confined to an area with no access to the school, and that he would always be supervised while he was onsite,” Whyte said on Friday. “We were as confident as we could be that there was no risk to our students . we were satisfied we had mitigated any potential risk.” A Marlborough woman, who did not want to be named, said she complained to the ministry this week as there were several parents concerned about the safety of students at the school. She said she had also spoken to the school.