Teacher assaulted my son - what to do?

ceridwen

skintchick wrote: »

This isn;t helpful, but when I was at school teachers used to chuck stuff around all the time and no-one ever complained. It's hardly assault. (and I'm only 34 so not exactly ancient!)

..and I thought it was something peculiar to me - that I can recall one of my teachers regularly throwing the blackboard eraser thing at us - but we all knew it was in jest and was just "one of his things" and no-one thought anything of it...it never hit any of us and was just regarded in a "jokey" light....

Curv

bingo_babe wrote: »

If I and mitchka were one and the same how could we simultaneously post at 18.41?

I'm not interested in this side debate about AEs, but I would hate anyone to labour under the illusion that simultaneous posting is proof positive that posters aren't AEs, because it's simply not true. It's perfectly possible to effect such posts and not that difficult, either.

bingo_babe

SugarSpun wrote:

No. You are not entitled to see documents that are protected under the DPA.

There is no whitewash. This is the law.

Are you sure about this? Are you a lawyer? What about the statements made by the teacher?

How would that work then if the police were involved?- Surely blanking out any information that would identify the witness is the solution? Hiding behind the Data Protection act is not exactly conducive to natural justice.

aliasojo

bingo_babe wrote: »

Yes, the teacher is still teaching him despite the matter being unresolved.

There have also been 'mediation sessions' imposed on my son without my consent or knowledge.

I've tried really hard to be fair but your comment about mediation sessions being imposed bothers me tbh.

I would have thought this could only be a good thing? Also I dont agree your consent or knowledge was necessary given your son's age. The fact these sessions have been arranged suggests there may be some ongoing animosity? Surely it's better for teacher and pupil to discuss the matter.....I'm assumimg that's the point of the mediation?

How many sessions were there, were they helpful and how did your son feel about them?

KonkyWonky

I hope you gave your son a clip round the ear yourself. If this had happened to me there is no way I'd tell my parents or report it. At the end of the day your son seems to not have been paying attention/larking around. If anything I think teachers should have more power to discipline children, because in general there parents don't seem to want to do it themselves!!!

bingo_babe

How long exactly has it been since the incident and your last point of contact with the school over this matter?

About 3 months and secondly about 6 weeks.

SugarSpun

bingo_babe wrote: »

Are you sure about this? Are you a lawyer? What about the statements made by the teacher?

How would that work then if the police were involved?- Surely blanking out any information that would identify the witness is the solution? Hiding behind the Data Protection act is not exactly conducive to natural justice.

No, but as I mentioned earlier in the thread I've worked as a mediator in similar situations and I'm aware of the law. I also don't drive a car, but I know it's illegal to drive drunk and/or without insurance.

If there were to be a criminal investigation, the documents would be available to the police. They still wouldn't be available to you.

It's not a matter of "hiding behind" the DPA, although you seem determined to put a sinister spin on the documents' unavailability. The head teacher is not permitted by law to show them to you.

Finally, you keep saying things like "natural justice". I do not think it means what you think it does.

Snuggles

Bingo Babe,

I just wanted to say I think you have every right to want to take this further. Some of the comments that have been made in this thread are ridiculous. Whatever the state of discipline in the classroom today, the fact is that a teacher is in a position of trust, and should not abuse that trust by throwing objects at children (whether or not it was intended to hit them). Being unable to control frustration and temper in the face of stress (no matter how difficult it might be), calls into question a person's suitability to work with children, and should be taken seriously by the school. I have seen teachers dismissed for far less (and I am not saying that is necessarily correct, I am just saying that such behaviour would normally be taken very seriously).

To all those saying that the teacher must have been provoked by the child's poor behaviour and the child effectively brought it on himself, would you say the same if the scenario was a careworker throwing an object at an elderly person who displayed challenging behaviour due to dementia? The fact is that if you work in an environment where you are likely to encounter challenging behaviour, you should have the skill and capability to deal with it appropriately. Blaming the child is simply unacceptable and is no excuse at all for such an inappropriate response to the sort of problem a teacher is likely to encounter every day.

aimee21j

Why has it dragged on so long? I think you should do one last thing such as a final meeting with the head where you are clear about what you need to find out.

pollypenny

bingo_babe wrote: »

...Also I have accepted that my child should have been paying attention.

However I'm not sure throwing a broom head at him - striking his face - is a proportionate punishment for the teacher to administer for this misdemeanour.

Hang on - your original post says it was' thrown towards him and bounced off a desk"

You should let this go. You're fuelling your son's bitterness, I feel.