School boards will have better legal support for cases like the one involving St Bede's rowers Jordan Kennedy and Jack Bell.

Schools that face sudden court action by angry parents will soon get more legal support.

The move follows the St Bede's College rowing debacle in March, where the parents of student rowers Jordan Kennedy and Jack Bell successfully obtained a court injunction allowing the boys to race at the Maadi Cup.

The school's rector, Justin Boyle, tried to ban them after they breached security at Auckland Airport. Crown Law will prepare legal submissions, or briefing notes, for lawyers who represent school boards facing a legal challenge when there is little time to prepare, Ministry of Education head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said.

The submissions would be based on past rulings.

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There had been a noticeable increase in the last year of schools seeking legal advice after parents threatened legal action, Secondary Principals Association New Zealand (Spanz) president Sandy Pasley said.

Although few parents were likely to take a case to the courts, the effects could be significant for schools, Pasley said.

The St Bede's rowing case was worrying because it was the first one involving extra-curricular activities, she said.

"If schools have more legal action like that, then they might not offer those activities and that would be a shame," she said.

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Spanz approached the Ministry of Education after the St Bede's case, asking it to provide legal support to schools facing similar situations.

Casey said the Crown Law work would ensure courts have "all relevant legislative provisions and case law precedents to apply to the facts of the case", in the rare instances when disputes escalated to the courts,.

Burnside High School principal Phil Holstein welcomed the move.

"I applaud any initiative that does support schools in the current climate. I think it is important that schools, principals and staff have all the knowledge available to them so they can be supported in just doing the right thing."

Hornby High School principal Richard Edmundson agreed.

"The law can be a complicated business, so anything that helps give clarity to the public, and so schools and families, I would say is a welcome thing."

Principals' Federation president Denise Torrey said it was pleasing to see Crown support of schools put in what was often "vexatious" legal situations.

"I think it's great news because up until this point schools have had to use their own resources to go to court against parents who have decided to take legal action for some reason.

"It impacts on other children when they have to use [the school's] resources."

Schools spent money and "hours and hours of work to pull documents together" ready for court cases like the High Court battle between Auckland's Red Beach School and a father over its bible lessons, she said.

Jeff McClintock is taking on his daughter's school for allegedly breaching its duties under the Education Act 1989, and against the attorney-general for allegedly passing legislation that was inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights.

St Bede's rector Justin Boyle could not be reached for comment.