So its ok to have knives in school???

ragdoll24

Please please help or advise?

My son aged 12 (nearly 13) has been bullied since going up to senior school and I have been up and down the school for the past 3yrs. Things seem to have settled down for the last 3mths which has been a big relief but yesterday my son came home in tears and this is what happened:

My son was bullied, assaulted and suffered criminal damage not to mention the psychological stress this has caused him. From the statement made by my son and from what the school have said to me today I understand that my son was with a group of boys on the top field at lunch time. The boys (who have bullied my son constantly on and off for 3yrs) bullied him into ripping a button off his shirt to which he did. He did this due to peer pressure, bullying and to try and stay in with the so called in crowd, unfortunately this is something children and adults do in order to feel wanted, liked and hopefully stop the bullying (its a known fact). So yes my son did rip one button off his shirt but was then set on? Attacked? not sure what word to use but other boys then ripped the rest of the buttons off his shirt which also resulted in ripping his shirt, the top button was harder to remove so one of the boys produced a pen knife, put it to Sams neck and cut the button off. They then preceded to spray and cover Sams jumper in deodorant and also his backside.

The school got back to me today to say that after their investigations they have suspended the boy who had the pen knife for 3 days.

Yes thats it!!!!! No offer of replacing the cost of my sons shirt, no apology, nothing to say how they are going to keep my son safe in school in the future, absolutely nothing! When I argued that this was assault the assistant head said it was not as the pen knife was not used to harm my son!!!! When I argued that I thought it was illegal for children to carry weapons in their bags he argued back as said because the blade is less then 3in long its not classed as a weapon????

Does anyone think this is right???? I am absolutely gutted, devastated and frightened for my son, in fact I rang the police and guess what.........they dont want to know either and said the school have more powers then them and that the pen knife used is not a weapon, not illegal etc etc

Am I going completely mad???? after everything that has happened in schools recently with teachers being stabbed I thought incidents like this would be taken very seriously, as I see it as assault and criminal damage.

I have complained to police and the officer I spoke to day who was utterly rude to me, I am speaking to his line manager tomorrow but I dont hold any any hope as the other person I spoke to today said that then pen knife used is not a weapon and was not used as a weapon??? Even thou it was put to my sons neck to cut off a button?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

meritaten

your son was assaulted. keep the pressure on the police - it doesn't matter that the penknife isn't 'technically' a weapon - it was used as such to threaten him and damage his clothing. even the ruddy deodorant was used as a 'weapon'.
Personally, my son would no longer be a pupil at that particular school. I would remove him immediately and send a very detailed letter to the school governers and Education Department telling them why. (this is to cover your a$$ so they cant get you for truancy). then either homeschool him or find him a school where the staff DONT turn a blind eye to bullying or assault.

Tiddlywinks

OP - look at this page... It gives links to organisations that can give advice.

https://www.gov.uk/bullying-at-school/reporting-bullying

coolcait

Make a formal request for the school's own policy on dealing with offensive weapons and knives. As the following link points out, a school may introduce its own ban on pupils carrying weapons and knives, regardless of the legal exception made for folding pocket knives.

http://www.atl.org.uk/help-and-advice/assaults-and-abuse/policies-procedures-assault.asp

Make the request, calmly, by phone - just ask for a copy of the policy, in writing, and tell them that you will follow up the request in writing.

The written request should simply reiterate the request for a copy of the policy. You can add that you are making the request because of your serious concerns about the safety of your son, other pupils, and staff of the school, given the use of a knife during the assault on your son, in school grounds, yesterday - as previously reported to the school.

You can, if your son wishes, add that - due to your concerns for your son's safety, in the light of the school's response to the serious assault he was subjected to whilst in their care - you will be unable to permit him to return to the school until they have provided you with a copy of said policy, and details of the measures they have taken to prevent similar assaults on any pupil or member of staff in the future.

Leave it at that. No questions marks, exclamation marks or (understandable) emotions.

Mark the letter as being copied to the school governors (if applicable), the PTA, the local authority, and your locally MP. Make sure you do send them all copies.

Ideally, hand the letter in at the school reception, and get a written acknowledgement of receipt.

Then wait.

As for the police, they are correct in saying that - legally - the pocket knife is not classed as a weapon. If you want to press charges against the boy who used the knife, or any of the others involved in the assault, then identify the actual crimes which they may have committed.

If you want to complain about the police officer you spoke to, make sure that the complaint has more substance than "he didn't agree that the pocket knife is a weapon" - because he'd be correct in saying that.

nickj_2

give the local press a call , a few pics and a story about bullying at schools where bullying "isn't a problem" should do the trick

Tiddlywinks

nickj wrote: »

give the local press a call , a few pics and a story about bullying at schools where bullying "isn't a problem" should do the trick

... and maximum embarrassment for the OP's son - how will that help in the long run?

Carl31

The knife thing, thats not on and should be dealt with through the proper channels

I think you need to teach your son some methods to deal with these bullies though, Going to the school / police / taking him out of the school is probably not going to have much affect, as they cannot be watching him 100% of the time. Of course, in an ideal world this would be the solution, but we dont live in an ideal world

I think your son needs some confidence, ever thought about self defence lessons? I think having the thought in his mind he could handle this lot if needed would help him out

Carl31

nickj wrote: »

give the local press a call , a few pics and a story about bullying at schools where bullying "isn't a problem" should do the trick

did you not go to school?

I think all that would do is cement him firmly as a bully target for the rest of his life

theoretica

I think the 'weapon' definition is a sideline which could absorb too much attention. The incident would still have been serious had they torn the button off or used scissors. Also the cost of replacing the shirt.

The significant issue should be the bullying and assault. As for the argument it isn't assault because your son was not physically harmed, I wonder what it would be called if it had been a teacher or police officer whose clothing was torn?

nickj_2

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

... and maximum embarrassment for the OP's son - how will that help in the long run?

if you were attacked with a pen knife in the street , you would call the police , just because it happens in school doesn't mean that it's not serious , which is what most schools tend to think as they prefer to have any bullying swept under the carpet and pretend that it doesn't exist

meritaten

schools tend to think they have the same status as the 'Vatican' and what the pope - oops Head, says is law. it isn't. this was assault and the police should have stepped up to the mark.
the school has failed in its 'duty of care' to this child. failed badly from what OP says.
it ISNT the end of world if he is taken out of school - in fact it could open up a whole new world for him. Just ask those parents who have done it!
and at the end of the day - a child's safety comes before anything else doesn't it?