Told to take off coat or get a detention

[beth111]

My teenage boys finally got the health message I have being trying to get through to them for years regarding wearing a coat on cold wet days. During lunch time and recess, in the play ground, they decided to wear their coats to keep warm and dry. However the assistant principal informed them that their coats were not apart of school uniform and if they wore them again they would get a detention. Angry and shocked I wrote the assistant principal a note requesting my children wear a coat for health reasons. With the note in his hand and before discussing with me the heath reasons I had, he told them to take off their coats and that I had no say in the uniform policy. I can't believe Victorian public schools, that offer no warm dry areas for the children to play, would deny children the basic human right to stay warm and dry by telling them to remove their coats. Coats have no 'social value' in schools, in fact my children run the risk at being bullied for wearing one. What makes me more angry is on school excursions children are often told to wear a school uniform and a coat is a mandatory excessary, And why? To ensure children stay dry and warm, so why not extend this basic human right to Victorian children who live in cold wet climates? Teachers wear nice thick warm coats so why are they telling the children not to? I think as parents we need to start standing up to some of the education departments out dated policies, that put our children at risk.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

'Angry and shocked'? Really?!

[Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost]

Oh don't get me started on it. Going back last year now, but My DD told me, She walked into school with her coat on and as soon as she walked in it was. Take your coat off. In a right horrible manner, but if a teacher walked in from tge pisses of rain with her coat on it would have been "Oh Mrs so abd so come in and get warm". and they wonder why teenagers have little respect,

[whatnoww]

Are the costs plain blue/black whatever the school policy is? What is the health message and why are they Victorians.

get the feeling I'm missing something here

[SummerRosie321]

I think she means the school building is from victorian times.

[19lottie82]

What does the school uniform policy say about coats? Surely they must be allowed in a certain style / colour?

[PointlessUsername]

Does the school not offer its own coat?

At my dd's school they wear a school coat with the schools logo and any other coat has to be taken off.

[EveryoneElsie]

YANBU. It was freezing today. I had the heating on in the afternoon. Its a stupid policy, petty rules for the sake of it.

[BeckyWithTheMediocreHair]

Victorian as in British Columbia? Or are you posting from 1874?

[MumOnTheRunCatchingUp]

How are your children at risk??

[arethereanyleftatall]

So is there a specific coat adhering to school uniform they should have then? Why not get them that one in the first place? Problem solved. Tabu.

[lordStrange]

To ensure children stay dry and warm, so why not extend this basic human right to Victorian children who live in cold wet climates

wtf

[Crispbutty]

Are you all in the artic? It's nearly June.

[whatnoww]

Thanks SummerRosie I guess that could be an explanation

[Myusernameismyusername]

I though most secondaries didn't allow coats indoors. All of the ones I looked at make the policy clear - Blazers on at all times unless a teacher says you can remove it and no coats indoors but outside (where the weather happens) is fine

[UptownFunk00]

Wtf?

So if a child feels really cold indoors, what are they supposed to do? Hardly affecting their learning having a coat on.

Stupid.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

How are your children at risk??

Bizarrely I have very recently sat in on a meeting with a family where the only concern raised by the SW was child x (older teen) not wearing a coat whilst out playing, this was legitimately the only concern (and the reason for referal) yet a serious attempt was made to turn the case in to a CIN one.

It was bonkers

[beth111]

Victorian schools meaning then climate in Victoria is often below 10 degrees in winter. we live in a rural area and it's not unusual for the temp to be 5 degrees and raining. I don't know why the colour of the coat would be relevant, after all, these same coats are deemed appropriate whilst on school excursions. The school has a school rain coat, that is not warm and quite frankly a waste of money. The whole point here is the health of the my children is at risk to satisfy a 'look'. We heat class rooms to a certain temp to assist with learning. However children returning to the classroom cold and wet will take same time to reach this optimal temperature. Likewise there is plenty of evidence to support the fact that the immune system is compromised when core body temperature decreases. Therefore increasing the risk of viruses.

[Stillunexpected]

OP, you do realise that this is a UK site and the vast majority of posters are from the UK? Your post was very confusing, most people reading don't even know which country you are referring to - Canada, Australia, somewhere else? And I think you are giving temperatures in Fahrenheit when we deal in Celsius.

[onehappymummy]

Schools need rules. If the school is not allowing your children to wear a coat outside - then YANBU, they absolutely should be allowed to wear a coat outdoors. However, if this is about them wearing it inside, then YABU. It is a funny one that people don't always understand. As the coat is the only piece not part of the uniform, if you did not insist they take it off indoors, the whole uniform would be pointless. Now, the rules generally, are "take it off as soon as you come in". In practice, this tends to mean "come in, put your stuff down, then take your coat off".

[Schwabischeweihnachtskanne]

Canada or Australia (assuming we've given up on Victorian referring to the historical period)?

No coats allowed outdoors is weird, no coats indoors is normal (though I remember wearing a coat, hat and gloves during maths one year and sleeping in a coat - boarding school on its last legs during a Yorkshire winter (certainly a lot colder than 5 degrees c. ), no heating, it closed down the following summer...) We had an official school duffel coat though, so I guess that was OK :o

[Liiinooo]

These are normal (for the UK) uniform rules. If you don't like the uniform policy send your DSs to another school.

You don't mention they have particular health needs and no normal, healthy child has ever died of being chilly for 20-40 minutes at lunch time or recess. If they are cold, let them run around a bit - they will soon warm up. And as for wet - so what? They are not made of sugar, they won't melt. (Although having worked in a boys school, there is nothing quite as revolting as the smell of a classroom full of hot, wet, sweaty boys)

You come across as a little controlling and maybe a bit over protective. Do you really want your teenage boys to be known as the lads whose Mummy insists they wear a nice warm coat?

[Iknownuffink]

Can't for the life of me imagine the stink emanating from a class of damp/ wet children in an enclosed space like a classroom.

[EveryoneElsie]

The teachers wont teach in wet clothes but they expect the kids to sit there and learn.
Its ridiculous and pedantic.

[HerRoyalNotness]

Id guess Australia as they are moving into winter. Take it up with the head in person. Ask them to explain why the DC should go out in cold, wet weather without adequate coats.

They rant and rave about sunscreen and hats in summer. Why do they dismiss winter weather?