We the undersigned believe in Human Rights and in the rights of children being upheld in all New Zealand schools. There is an important loophole in current Education Law that allows some New Zealand schools, Private Non-Integrated (PNi) ones, to operate entirely without safeguard or supervision by any Ministry Department. These schools are not covered by the vast majority of sections of the Education Act, including those covering protection of children from bullying and from damaging actions by the school. As a parent sending your child(ren) to such a school you need to be sure that the institution is up to the job, without Ministry support. But at the moment PNi schools are not by law obliged to inform parents of the school's different status in law with regards to the children's reduced protection and rights, a situation that further puts children at risk through parents being ignorant about it. We are calling for compulsory disclaimers in these schools that all parents must sign to show that they have been made fully aware of the implications for their children's safety and their rights in sending them to a PNi school.

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