On behalf of the parents of the two girls threatened with rape and throat‑slitting by a newcomer pupil on 10th December 2025, we demand immediate action to protect these children from further harm. Both City of Armagh High School (COAHS) and the Education Authority must be held to account for their abject failure in handling this safeguarding crisis.

The school’s investigation was anything but victim‑led. The perpetrator was permitted to present his account to the Board of Governors — and admitted to all accusations — while the victims were denied any opportunity to be heard. This gross maladministration has directly enabled the decision to allow the perpetrator to return to the school, placing the two girls at continued risk.

At a time when violence against women and girls is rising, the right of these two pupils to a safe and uninterrupted education must be paramount. Their trauma must not be aggravated by being forced to share a school environment with the individual who threatened them.

We call on the Minister of Education and COAHS to strengthen safeguarding measures for pupils who have faced sexual or physical threats, ensuring victim‑centred procedures, proper inclusion of victims’ voices, and robust protections that prevent any repeat of these failures.

We therefore sign this petition calling on those with authority to ensure the perpetrator does not return to City of Armagh High School, and to secure alternative educational arrangements for him that do not compromise the safety and wellbeing of the two girls.