I think Jai died for a terrible reason.

I can’t believe that

someone could get so out of control. I think if I saw what
happened I would contact the police or someone that
could help because a lunch seat is really not worth a life.
Ailin Kong, Year 6 Room 5

I believe this is a terrible incident which has ended in

death. This is a terrible thing and shouldn’t happen to
anyone. No one wants to go to school and be threatened
like that, neither do parents need the concern of their
child being terribly hurt or bullied. I personally think that
some incidents like this are hard for a teacher or other
student to break up but something needs to be done.
Chloe Cassidy-Thomas, Year 6 Room 5

I believe that Jai was purposely man slaughtered because

he was accidentally involved in the unfortunate bash-up.
But my question is why was he involved? Why didn’t he
walk away? And why did the bully continue to attack Jai?

I am very upset to hear about this but there is a thing

called self defence and unfortunately it wasn’t used in this
particular event. I think this BULLY should defiantly feel
responsible for Jai’s death and should be sent to jail (he
has a problem he killed a boys life).
Connie Year 6 Room 5

I think this is a tragedy that this poor boy has died but to
find out that this fight was about a lunch table just makes
it seem like he died for nothing. Even if a teacher was
present there was no way they would have been able to
stop the brawl. Just think, a teacher 165cm high, do you
think that she would have been able to stop it. It’s not the
teachers’ fault either that these teenagers have started
this awful fight. But these teachers had nothing to do with
it. What?, did they hold the unconscious boy down while
the other kids kicked him?
Dylan Rokich, Year 6 Room 5
I believe that the fight was ridiculous way to fight over a
table and besides, they were fifteen year olds, they should
have known and the teachers should have done
something better but out of that I feel sorry for the
parents and I feel sorry for him.
Jake Sullivan

Parents and students have to be very careful and just get

it right and students especially. I mean what you get out
of this, just a big catastrophe. The staff around should be
more aware of what’s going on. What ever the boys did
was really, really bad. It’s a horrible thing to be happening
at the school. If he was unconscious what’s the point of
keeping on going? This is not a great way to end life. I
really hope people can learn from this terrible fight.
Kayla Graca, Year 6 Room 5

The truth is that principles, teachers and parents have no

real power over kids. The only reason kids haven’t
stopped going to school is because there aren’t enough
rebels to do it.
Aiden Morcombe

I’m saddened and disgusted that bulling gets that far. I

mean, why someone would want to kill someone over a
lunch table is just disturbing. The person/people who
killed him should be very heavily punished and should go
and apologise to the family of the boy. But before any
punishment is given, both sides of the story should be
heard, and what were teachers doing at the time of the
incident? There needs to be some serious changes at this
school and hopefully there will be no more bullying at the
school.
Renee O’Connor

It is horrible. How can a fight lead to a death? I mean that

a young teenage child has died from this incident that got
out of control. The bully probably got agitated and lashed
out maybe to try and be cool and the peer pressure he
might have suffered could have made him do this awful
deed.
Stacey O’Dwyer Year 5/6

I’m going to have to agree with a comment I read at

news.com.au by Sal in Sydney. The hose is an affective
way to stop a fight and the person manning the hose will
most likely be unaffected. The rush of cold water will
startle the students especially in winter. I find it ridiculous
that a school lunch fight could turn into such a viscous
brawl dangerous enough to kill a young man. The
teachers should have reacted better or at least fast
enough to save his life.
Tom Jones, Room 5

I think someone that age never deserves to die for any

reason and to know that a guy at 15 could do that to
someone is terrible and for a really crazy reason as well
Maia van etten, Room5 Year 6

I think it is so sad but I think the teachers could have

done something like ring the police or put the hose on
them the boy didn’t even do anything and it was over a
lunch table. What has the world come to?
Zak Tolley, Room 5

I think it was a horrible thing and the bystanders should

have done something to help other than filming it on their
camera. I just don’t see why kids need to bash people to
get their point across or something. I hope that our
schools will start to get tougher on the horrible bullies that
terrorise children.
Will Knight, Room 6 Year 7

I think it is disgusting how big the problem bullying has

come too. Also, I think some government and private
schools should crack down on bullying a lot harder then
just sitting and waiting until what will happen like the poor
teenage boy, Jai Morcom.

I cannot believe the brutal death was all about a lunch

spot when there are many other vacant seats around the
high school, Mullumbimby.
The stupid teenagers that have made this tragic event
happen should face juvenile for murder. I don’t think that
making them remember all they have done isn’t good
enough for their actions. This wasn’t an accident and they
know it.
Bec, Room 6 Year 7

I think that this is just devastating to hear and I would

think that the parents would have been just so devastated
to hear that their own son has been bullied and killed by
some rebels. Bullying should definitely be seen upon to
through out each year to see that these tragedies don’t
ever happen by being bullied or any other reason. I feel so
sad to think that these things happen to people and now,
this good looking young boy has left the world by being so
brutally killed by some young teenagers.
Danielle, Room 6 Year 7

I don’t understand if he was so popular then why did he

got bullied and bashed up. I really think that there should
be a stop to fighting in schools so tragedies like this wont
happen.
Georgia, Room 6 Year 7

This is quite sad because thousands of people send there

children to school every day not knowing what might
happen at school. Imagine if you sent your child to school
like you have been doing every day for years and they
didn’t come back. If I had a child and that happened to
me I would be devastated. i would want to do something
about it.1. I would try to make sure that that this would
never happen in the future. 2. I would try make sure that
the teachers and staff know what is happening and how to
stop it and I would advise people to tell there children
about this and tell them the dangers.
Tom Cooper, Room 6 Year 7
I believe Jai was in a terrible incident, being gang bashed
on the floor being kicked. It is really low, kicking on the
ground is really cheap, and also being gang kicked on the
floor, most likely unconscious, Jai had no chance. It was a
very unfortunate event that happened that day. I wonder
what he did to aggravate the bullies to bash him such
horribly.
Brandon, Room Year 7

I can’t believe people would do things like this. I hope the

family will recover well and that the bullies will get
punished.
Cedric, Room 6 Year 7

What those kids did was stupid; it was just a bench table
they could have just gone to another free table. Even
though it was ‘their table’ they could have just asked
them to please move to another table instead of having a
fight and basically kill that boy!
Ciaran Year7 Room6

This is insane. Why the heck would you kick some 14 year
old boy to death? This is just unacceptable. The death all
started out over a lunch seat. The teachers did not take
control and we need to toughen up our rules in the school
and say NO to violence. It’s just getting to the point where
we can’t control the kids anymore. The department of
education isn’t taking control. If this was your son, what
would you do?
Hope, Year 7 Room 6

I think it is stupid to fight over a bench table and it’s

stupid to even claim territory in a school. As a bystander
the fight must have gotten out of hand and coincidently
someone got killed. I feel grief for the family and friends
of Jai Morcom.
Isabelle, Year 7 Room 6
I think it’s the most stupid thing ever to beat someone to
death just over a lunch seat! People should realise that
death is no joke and by repetitively kicking someone in
the head, they can die, especially if the person is already
unconscious. The people that did this to Jai should be
punished over and over again until they get that what
they did was stupid and wrong.

I think that the students at Jai’s school did a good thing

by marching out of the school and protesting for the
principal to resign. If the bullying can get that bad at a
school, the school definitely need new staff members.
Jeremy Segal, Year 7 Room 6

I think the fight was inappropriate for reasons that he

died. At 15 years you can’t just bash a person up. The law
will need to get stricter from the Government of Australia.
The whip should come in for these actions. This incident
should never happen again. Olden days when the whip
was introduced sometimes you got whipped for talking.
This is what I’m saying they should use the whip for
terrible incidents like this. If the person who started the
incident and killed Jai Morcom doesn’t go to prison the
Government will have to do something.
Michael, Year 7 Room 6

I think it was strange that school students kill someone in

their class just because of someone said that a lunch
bench was their lunch bench so they did not agree, so
they started to kick him so he died.
Moorits, Year 7 Room 6

I think this is terrible, there should be teachers walking

around in the school yard making sure that things like this
don’t happen. The parents should have known this and
talked with the principal.
Morten Lepland Room 6
This was really sad and lots of people are appalled that
this happened. It was over a stupid lunch seat for god’s
sake! The boy (R.I.P.) was a bystander and wasn’t even
involved in the fight. How did he know that that would be
the last thing he saw, that he would never see his family
and friends again, that he would never smell a flower
again?
Nadia Mohiuddin Year7

What is with these kids at school? They need to learn

they can’t solve everything by fighting. And kicking a 15
year old kid to death after being knocked to the ground!
What have these schools turned into? They let a few
students get into a fight over table and they take it so far
that they kill another person. I hope these kids have
learnt a lesson after this, and if they haven’t then they
should at least not let their anger take over them so
quickly. And the fact that they protested just to get out of
school work! What is wrong with these people they’re a
disgrace to everyone!
Naomi, Year 7

This is so awful. He was only 15. To find out that it was all
about a table it makes it all the more terrible. Why fight
over something like that a stupid table? If you didn’t mean
to kill him don’t hit him or kick him. It doesn’t matter who
started it. Don’t bully someone because it hurts them and
you wouldn’t want that to happen to you would you?
Before you bully someone think about their feelings.
Natalie Owen, Year 7

I think it is not cool beating someone to death at a

suburban school over a lunch seat. People who do this are
just mean, wrong just NOT GOOD PEOPLE!!I mean like
kicking some over and over again in the head is just a silly
thing with a massive consequence and over a lunch seat?
Noah O’Halloran - Year 7
How can anyone do this!? People who do this are truly
sick minded people. Did they mean to kill him or was it an
accident? Well we know for sure that bullying isn’t an
accident.
Saskia B, Room 6, Year 7

I think that the situation that just occurred is a disgrace.

The thugs who beat up this poor boy should be ashamed
of their actions and all of this just over a lunch seat! I
deeply sympathise with his parents and friends for their
loss. The teachers should not be held responsible but
improve their strategies to make sure that this never
happens again.
Sophia, Year 7 Room 6

If throwing a kid onto the ground, bashing him up and

hurting him so badly he dies is ‘cool’, I want to be a nerd.
These people are out of their minds! Honestly, don’t they
realise that they are going to get caught and imprisoned,
and it was only a lunch spot! Absolutely crazy and insane.
Stephanie, Year 7, Room 6

I think is very sad for family and friends of his. The

teacher should find better strategies to deal with this
disgraceful behaviour. I can’t believe that a kid died over a
lunch table. I also think that it is immature for year 9 to
fight over a lunch table that only happens in year 1.
Tam

I think that it was awful that it happened to a fifteen year

old boy. I mean, you can understand drunken fights and
people dieing from that but over a lunch bench is
preposterous. But there is a question in this. Why was he
involved? Could it be because he wanted to be cool?
Maybe because he was provoked? It would be easier if
they just settled it talking instead of being boys and
fighting over a little thing. No one deserves to die like
that. It’s just so sad. Why would a bunch of boys jump
and another boy and attack him? Why didn’t anyone pull
the boys who killed him off? Who knows? I want to find
out. This is just so sad! Poor Jai. I feel so sorry for his
parents. To lose someone special over something so
stupid and so sad. Another question; where were the
teachers? They should have been there to stop it. Overall
the boys who attacked Jai and the teachers are to blame.
This is almost close to manslaughter. No one should go to
jail but they should realise what they have done. No, they
can’t fix it but maybe they could help. Maybe, just maybe
someone will help Jai’s parents move on but never ever
forget what happened to their special little boy. It’s a
shame how parents send their children to school and
know that they will be safe and then to get a phone call,
‘Your son is dead. It happened over a lunch bench. Sorry
no one was there to help.’ If I was the mother I would
have said, ‘Well, where were all the teachers? Why didn’t
someone help him? I want to see the boys who did this to
him and ask them why?’ His poor, poor mother. I would
help her and her husband if I knew them. Those boys
should be sorry. Over all no one really is to blame because
bullying is a bad, bad thing and the boys probably were
bullied when they were younger or bullied by their
parents. It is a sad thing but it probably couldn’t have
been stopped. Sorry to Jai and his family. Rest in Peace,
dear Jai…
Taryn Carter; Year 7

I think that it is ridiculous. You can have verbal fights

without it going too far but you can’t have a physical fight
without getting hurt and it can cause serious results like
death. It is a really bad way of expressing your emotions
and feelings for that person it is sick and discussing. What
has high school turned into? High school is for learning.
It’s not for fighting to the point where he was unconscious
and dies. It is absolutely disgusting and I think we should
all be ashamed about what high school has turned into
and its to the point where it gets scary. I mean, that could
happen to you.
We should definitely find a way to change all high schools
before even more people get hurt and even if we have to
put teachers on duty.
Tayla Ziino Room 6 Year 7