School charging for broken equipment

cheepskate_2

You know, even before getting the bill I would have phoned up the school if my child had came home and told me they had broken a net book.

I would have wanted to know the circumstances , so that I could know the fact and take whatever action was necessary.

More importantly I would want the school to know I knew, that my child had told me , and that both of us were sorry it happened.

At 14, they are responsible enough themselves to go back to parents and tell them an invoice will be coming and for what.

It just seems that the parents didn't want to know, even tho being in IT i assume the father is well educated in how difficult it is to break these items sitting at a desk with normal use.

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

Squeezed the screen, what comedy. Who does that? Who believes that story more like. Some kid's just sat there with the ehole world at his finger tips and instead of looking up some internet !!!!!! like a normal kid he decides he'd rather see what happens when you squeeze the laptop. As if, he was probably trying to beat someone up with it.

ska_lover

14 year olds are old enough to know they need to take responsibiltiy for their actions. I think that people might be making judgements here because the op and the parents is still making excuses as to her nephews behaviour. Does refusal to take responsibility for stuff run in your family?

If this was me, I would have red-faced paid the school and punished my child. Why should one childs destructiveness be paid for by tax payers - or another kid go without? The parents are really showing a bad example to the lad contesting this and making excuses for him. He is coming into his teenage years and woe betide the parents for this lame attitude - they will reap what they sow. Rather them than me, thats for sure..

DaisyFlower

If my DS came home and said he had broken a netbook, i'd have called the school before they called me hopefully. It would never enter my head to try and not pay for the damage caused by a teen - surely we teach children to be responisble for their actions.

If a parent states they wont pay, then it simply tells the child that its ok to break other peoples property.

Marisco

cheepskate wrote: »

You know, even before getting the bill I would have phoned up the school if my child had came home and told me they had broken a net book.

I would have wanted to know the circumstances , so that I could know the fact and take whatever action was necessary.

This is what I would have done as well. Quite a few years ago when my son was in school (he's now37) he was accused of knocking a cup of coffee out of a teachers' hand. We were horrified, and went to the school to see what had happened. What had actually happened was, that the teacher was walking through the corridor with a cup of coffee, and my son had slung his bag over his shoulder, not knowing that the teacher was walking behind him, and the coffee cup had gone flying out of her hand. She was a (known) drama queen, and accused my son of doing it deliberately. Luckily another teacher had seen the incident!!! The point of this rambling is, they should go to the school, or at least phone them up, and find out exactly what has happened. And then the father should offer to repair it, free of charge

Errata

I wonder what punishment the school gave the pupil?

david39

14 year olds are old enough to know they need to take responsibiltiy for their actions

That is quite correct and, in this case, the lad has assumed responsibility to it by owning up. He probably could do nothing else at the school because his notepad would not work, but he also came home and informed his parents.

It seems to me that it is the parents who are not taking their responsibilities seriously, trying to weadle out of the situation by making excuses for not paying up.

They are not acting as good role models to their son who has shown more support for good social responsibility than they are doing.

As I said in an earlier post, pay up, put it behind you and hope that the lad has learned that there can be socially embarrassing consequences to irresponsible behaviour.