Child thrown off school trip for eating chocolate, seriously?!

[Sparklysilversequins]

AIBU to think this is absolutely ridiculous? Would you have gone and picked your child up?

here

[NotYoMomma]

WTF are they doing reading private letters?!

[wineoclocktimeyet]

TBH, I think there's likely to be more to it than this - it does seem unlikely that she would be made to leave just for the chocolate.

[squeakytoy]

i think the "misbehaved at the beach" is more likely the main reason... which was mentioned in another article about the same story

[youarewinning]

Blimey - a bit overkill.

I agree if they were told not to take it then there should have been consequences but not missing the whole rest of the trip. 'Punishments' should fit the 'crime'. IE missing an ice cream treat or something.

But then we only have this mothers side of the story and what happened to her two friends who shared it?

[meddie]

I cant get too worked up about the chocolate incident. they signed a charter with the consequences of being sent home, broke the rules and are now suprised she was 'sent home'.
I am appalled though that the school saw fit to open her personal mail and read it. isnt that illegal?

[Sirzy]

I think there is probably a lot more to it than the mothers side of events.

But what was the mother doing allowing her to take chocolate if she knew it was banned?

[Xihha]

The kid had planned for weeks to take something that she had already been told wasnt allowed and would mean she would get sent home and then wrote to tell her Mum about it, imo she deserved to be punished for that anyway and all of the other reports i could find about it mentioned that she had been misbehaving on the beach the first day.

I am a little shocked at the teachers reading the letters home though.

[Eyesunderarock]

Yes, I think it's stupid if that's the only complaint they had about her, but that's what happens in our rules and regulations and narrow-minded schools now.
Expect many more incidents

[Chickensarmpit]

The teachers opened someone else's mail? Isn't that illegal?

[IWipeArses]

It's a disgrace they read her letter. And trips away like this are the perfect opportunity for a little rebellion. If you really enforce petty shit like no chocolate for a week, the next trip they'll be bringing cigarettes or worse. Poor bloody kids.

[Chickensarmpit]

I would of demanded my money back too!

[DesperatelySeekingSedatives]

I wonder if they opened her mail because she had already misbehaved? Not saying that's ok but I do think that her mother is either not telling the whole truth or is simply very deluded.

Quick read of the local paper for Watford and its comment section of their article and a parent of another child on that trip says that this child leaving early "was no great loss". Basically they didn't like her much. wonder why?

Also it appears that parents and children were asked to sign a "good behaviour charter" and if that says specifically that no chocolate is allowed then fairs fair, she broke the rules, she got the heave ho. If I was her mum I'd be angrier at my child for breaking the rules in the first place.

[cornyblend37]

I wonder if she did actually misbehave at the beach? Sounds like the school are covering their arses.

[TroublesomeEx]

Well it does seem like an over-reaction, but perhaps if the mum had saved up to send the girl in the first place, and the girl had been so excited to go, perhaps she should have followed the rules she agreed to follow.

There's no point in having the rules/signing a good behaviour charter if nothing happens when someone breaks them. The line has to be drawn somewhere.

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

It's illegal to tamper with Her Majesty's mail; this letter hadn't made it to the post box, so no illegality involved.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

cornyblend37

Wow, you sound as petty as the parent.

[clam]

Sorry, but I'm reading between the lines here. There's no way this would have happened to an otherwise beautifully-behaved child.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

If she was thrown off for "just eating chocolate" why weren't the other 5 kicked off?

[AhoyMcCoy]

Read the comments on the Watford Observer article- think there is definitely more than meets the eye! Lots of "my child was on this trip and let's just say it was no great loss" and "this child is known locally" etc etc. I think it probably has a lot more to do with misbehaving than just an isolated chocolate incident.

[Flobbadobs]

Loved the picture of her sadly holding chocolate bars...

[cornyblend37]

Boneyback- you sound very defensive
Why's that then?

[Onesleeptillwembley]

Sorry, barely believe a word of it. There must be more to this story.

[CommanderShepard]

Wow. Searching the lining of the suitcase seems a bit much.

I too wonder what happened to the friends.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

CommanderShepard

"Wow. Searching the lining of the suitcase seems a bit much."

I suspect that if the stripping of the suitcases lining had happened that there would be a picture of it.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

corny
Probably for the same reason that you seem petty.