Accused of teaching but nothing missing?
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TroubledTeacher
Posts: 1 Newbie
Evening all,
First time poster however I have a real problem.
Today, I was pulled in by the Head Master in my school for stealing from the school. I am pretty panicked and scared and am in contact with my trade union.
Basically, I decided to sell a school resource, one purchased by me using school funds, on a well known selling platform. A purchaser bought the item and paid HOWEVER then informed me that they contacted the company and said the product I was selling was licenced to the school and that it is not allowed to be sold. I immediately cancelled the sale and gave the purchaser a full refund without sending the item.
However, in contacting the company, they have tracked me down to my school and have accused me of breaking the terms of their licence, copyright etc even though the item never changed hands. I know ignorance is no defence in a court of law but I was blissfully unaware that what I was doing was wrong and had all the good intentions of using the money made to reinvest in more resources for the students I teach.
As much as I was nieve and stupid, and even though when I was informed I did not go through with the sale and the resource never changed hands, I am looking down the barrel of a formal multilevel hearing and possible dismissal from my job.
I love my job and I really do not want to lose it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Please?
First time poster however I have a real problem.
Today, I was pulled in by the Head Master in my school for stealing from the school. I am pretty panicked and scared and am in contact with my trade union.
Basically, I decided to sell a school resource, one purchased by me using school funds, on a well known selling platform. A purchaser bought the item and paid HOWEVER then informed me that they contacted the company and said the product I was selling was licenced to the school and that it is not allowed to be sold. I immediately cancelled the sale and gave the purchaser a full refund without sending the item.
However, in contacting the company, they have tracked me down to my school and have accused me of breaking the terms of their licence, copyright etc even though the item never changed hands. I know ignorance is no defence in a court of law but I was blissfully unaware that what I was doing was wrong and had all the good intentions of using the money made to reinvest in more resources for the students I teach.
As much as I was nieve and stupid, and even though when I was informed I did not go through with the sale and the resource never changed hands, I am looking down the barrel of a formal multilevel hearing and possible dismissal from my job.
I love my job and I really do not want to lose it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Please?
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Comments
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TroubledTeacher wrote: »Evening all,
First time poster however I have a real problem.
Today, I was pulled in by the Head Master in my school for stealing from the school. I am pretty panicked and scared and am in contact with my trade union.
Basically, I decided to sell a school resource, one purchased by me using school funds, on a well known selling platform. A purchaser bought the item and paid HOWEVER then informed me that they contacted the company and said the product I was selling was licenced to the school and that it is not allowed to be sold. I immediately cancelled the sale and gave the purchaser a full refund without sending the item.
However, in contacting the company, they have tracked me down to my school and have accused me of breaking the terms of their licence, copyright etc even though the item never changed hands. I know ignorance is no defence in a court of law but I was blissfully unaware that what I was doing was wrong and had all the good intentions of using the money made to reinvest in more resources for the students I teach.
As much as I was nieve and stupid, and even though when I was informed I did not go through with the sale and the resource never changed hands, I am looking down the barrel of a formal multilevel hearing and possible dismissal from my job.
I love my job and I really do not want to lose it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Please?
Look for another job. You don't really have any defence. You tried to sell School property, gross misconduct and theft.0 -
TroubledTeacher wrote: »Evening all,
Basically, I decided to sell a school resource, one purchased by me using school funds,?Look for another job. You don't really have any defence. You tried to sell School property, gross misconduct and theft.
Unfortunately, I think _shel has summed it up.
What has your union rep said?0 -
So you tried to steal, the licensing caught you out and you think that somehow makes you innocent!
Heck no. You!!!8217;re done for.
Surely if you are so innocent you cleared this !!!8216;sale and reinvestment!!!8217; with the headteacher.... oh no you didn!!!8217;t because he!!!8217;s only just found out0 -
If you read the OP, she wasn't selling it for her own profit, she was going to use the money to buy different resources for the school, so recycling not stealing.
I would imagine that's not uncommon these days with the funding cuts, and it makes sense not to leave a valuable but unneeded resource just sat on a shelf, the problem here is the licensing issue surely? Also perhaps its something she should have cleared with SLT/finance department first.0 -
Red-Squirrel wrote: »the problem here is the licensing issue surely? Also perhaps its something she should have cleared with SLT/finance department first.
Yep. Two problems.
1 - it sounds as though the OP did this without running it past anybody first. I don't know if it is common for teachers to buy and sell resources, I would have thought it should all go through the school office and possibly the LEA to ensure all income/expenditure is accounted for.
2 - the item had previously been sold with a bespoke licence for educational establishments, and cannot be passed onto a second licencee, especially one outside of education. I would have expected that to be quite common and therefore well-known.
Naivety is no defence, I'm afraid.:heartpuls Mrs Marleyboy :heartpuls
MSE: many of the benefits of a helpful family, without disadvantages like having to compete for the tv remote
Proud Parents to an Aut-some son 0 -
Red-Squirrel wrote: »If you read the OP, she wasn't selling it for her own profit, she was going to use the money to buy different resources for the school, so recycling not stealing.
I would imagine that's not uncommon these days with the funding cuts, and it makes sense not to leave a valuable but unneeded resource just sat on a shelf, the problem here is the licensing issue surely? Also perhaps its something she should have cleared with SLT/finance department first.
Hahaha yeah of course she was!
You can’t just walk into any work place and think ‘I’m not a fan of this resource/computer/till system/ I’m going to flog it and buy us a new one’
In no workplace does that fly. You can’t just up and sell school
Property and then say ‘oh it was for the children...’0 -
Tigsteroonie wrote: »Yep. Two problems.
1 - it sounds as though the OP did this without running it past anybody first. I don't know if it is common for teachers to buy and sell resources, I would have thought it should all go through the school office and possibly the LEA to ensure all income/expenditure is accounted for.
2 - the item had previously been sold with a bespoke licence for educational establishments, and cannot be passed onto a second licencee, especially one outside of education. I would have expected that to be quite common and therefore well-known.
Naivety is no defence, I'm afraid.
1. No it is not common for teachers to sell off school property!0 -
Thanks, I wasn't sure whether they had a degree of autonomy for sourcing certain items themselves. It's been 30 years since I was at school, eBay didn't exist then!marliepanda wrote: »1. No it is not common for teachers to sell off school property!:heartpuls Mrs Marleyboy :heartpuls
MSE: many of the benefits of a helpful family, without disadvantages like having to compete for the tv remote Proud Parents to an Aut-some son 0 -
Tigsteroonie wrote: »Thanks, I wasn't sure whether they had a degree of autonomy for sourcing certain items themselves. It's been 30 years since I was at school, eBay didn't exist then!
Oh there’s certainly an expectation of buying your own stuff, but not selling off the schools! !!!129315;0 -
marliepanda wrote: »1. No it is not common for teachers to sell off school property!
Are you a teacher?
So what is the procedure for when an item still has monetary value but isn't needed by the school then? Seems a massive waste for it to just gather dust!0
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