To want this child surspended?

[WorriedMum21]

I was called to DS1s school, (he is year 7) to find DS1 sat in the office and the Head of senco (DS1 has slight SN ) informs me that one of the children saw another child with a knife in school, that child said they were going to stab DS1 she followed this up with I don't know if it is true and I don't know what to do about it , (it is her bloody job to know what to do,) I ask what had been done so far and the boy had been surched and had gone home (it was home time by now) the child that had seen the boy with the knife had gone home but they thought it was best to keep DS till we went to get him.

So I call the mother of the boy who saw the boy with the knife and she said that when her son got to the bus stop, the boy with the knife and his friends were there, he had the knife again and it turns out it is a joke knife and the "blade" retracts when you "stab" someone with it...oh yes how we laughed hee hee hee so funny.

Now yesterday was sports day and DS1 stayed home, he is staying home today and I am going to ring the school and demand that this evil fucker child is sepended.
I am also going to report this to the police.
What the hell is wrong in a child heads when they think pretendidn to stab someone is funny, this child is main stream by the way, no SN so can't be excused on the grounds of not fully getting the idea of it.

I am so bloody angry, Wonder if he would think it funny if I took one of DPs guns (real but deactivated) and pretended to shoot him with it, but that would get a big laugh.
[disclaimer don't like the things and would never do that, but you get my drift]
How can people be so bloody stupid, every day a child is stabbed somewhere at the moment it is not a game or a joke.

[milknosugar]

i would give school the chance to call police first, but if they wont i would. this child needs to realise how serious his actions were and the police might just scare him enough to stop this being funny.

[WorriedMum21]

That is what I am hoping, scare the crap out of him.

I also think his parents need to be called in to the school, if it was my son done this I would be fuming

[fryalot]

I know that it's a bit of a sensitive issue at the moment - you're right, it does seem that a child is being stabbed every day at the moment.

But... I think you are being a tad unreasonable to expect this boy to understand that. I am not trying to excuse his actions - he should not have taken a joke knife into school and should not be pretending to stab people with it.

But... kids have always done this. Kids have always played with pretend weapons - be they guns, swords or knives. If you think that no child should ever play with a pretend weapon, then that is another issue entirely.

[beanieb]

If it was your son - would you ask for him to be suspended?

I think suspension is a bit over the top

[2point4kids]

I think suspension is over the top too.
A good idea to get a police officer in to 'question' him though as that will hopefully make him realise how setious it is to mess around with weapons.

[hertsnessex]

suspension seems to much, a talking too and reprimand by the parents would seem enough. perhaps they didnt know he had taken the toy to school?

[Shannaratiger]

I can understand you being rreally cross and upset. I agree with 2point4kids though I don't think suspension would achieve anything, but a word from the police hopefully would.

[WaynettaSlob]

I saw someo kids playing with one of these "toys" recently and was - how DUMB are some parents.

Anyway, suspension isn't the correct option IMHO - the school needs to talk to the parents and tell them that such toys are not allowed in the school.

[wannaBe]

these knives are not illegal though - they are toys. And while it is obviously ill-advised to take one into school, the child hasn't committed a crime and it is unlikely the police would do anything.

I agree a talking to would be appropriate, but suspending a child for having a toy in class is a bit ott IMO.

[soopermum1]

i don't think suspension is too much, tbh. there is something very very wrong about pretend knives and threatening to stab people at that age.

toy guns make me uncomfortable as well, and i know that boys do play with them or pretend to have one (DS is always 'shooting' people) but for a young boy they're a lot harder to get hold of than a knife.

i've never hear of or seen young boys playing with pretend knives or threatening to stab each other during play.

[Lovesdogsandcats]

Yes young boys play with guns and stuff...but at 13? He did not take this 'pretend' knife into school to 'play' with it did he, come on, the lad is 13 not 7. He took it in to scare the shit out of someone.

[cornsilk]

I agree suspension is OTT. A stern talking to is definitely necessary, firstly to tackle the bullying and secondly to ensure this boy knows the consequences of knife crime. You don't know that the boy isn't SEN, as you said, your child is. (And if you have fake guns in the house you're not exactly setting a great example yourself about the dangers of weapons.)

[fryalot]

a bigger issue is the bullying of course.

I'm not convinced that the boy shouldn't be suspended for bullying.

[ChopsTheDuck]

I really do think you are overeacting. I do feel for your ds and it sounds like he has had a nasty scare. But calling the police and demanding suspension is overacting to what was a prank that got out of hand. I don't think at 13 he would have heard of all the events taht had happened recently, or realised the seriousness of what he did. Yes he needs to learn that such behaviour is not acceptable, but I think seeking to scare him with the police is the wrong way to do it.

[aquasea]

Oh dear. I remember my brother having one of these when he was young too. I am sure we took it to school. It certainly wasn't to "scare the shit" out of anyone - it was more like a magic trick. Granted, these are very different times but I do think suspension is a little over the top.

[HonoriaGlossop]

I think the school have dealt with it badly. The boy with the 'knife' should have been kept in for HIS parents to come and collect him, not your ds who had done nothing wrong!

It would have been far better for the boy to have been kept in and had to explain it all to his parents.

And the school do need to take this very seriously - 13 year olds know the news, many of them, so will know this is a serious 'issue' in the media just now. The child should certainly have some consequences and have to see how stupid he's been.

At the moment the only child who has had 'consequences' is your ds, who did nothing. Badly dealt with IMO.

[Romy7]

suspension way OTT.
police way OTT, unless they want to speak to the year group generally about the dangers of knife crime, and the ridiculousness of carrying joke knives - the chances of it being perceived as real having unexpected and unwanted consequences etc.

head should interview culprit and put him on report for a term for utter stupidity.

hope your ds is ok though - it must have been a shock that the school were taking the stab threat seriously.

[Romy7]

oh, and lots of sn in mainstream as you are aware - you wouldn't even know if he was on the list or not.

[2shoes]

suspension is ott, but I can understand your anger.
could the school ask the police to come in and give a school assembly on the dangers of knife crime?

[OrmIrian]

Suspension too much as many have said. However the school needed to impress upon the boy that it was inadvisable behaviour at the very least. Not really funny, that sort of joke

[mum2ds1]

omg how scary
hope your ds is ok
i think the school have delt with this in totally the wrong way they should have kept the other boy back as he was in the wrong i think or would hop that at his age he would know better especially given the headlines lately
as for suspension well he would only think of it as a extended holiday so wouldnt be much good really. his parents need to punish him with something that will get to him i.e remove privallages game consol ground him give him a curfu etc..
also i think that all schools shoul be having speciallist people in to discuss knifes etc and the dangers and also the stupidity of pretending or re en acting these things out.
i do hope you and your ds are ok and send a big hug to you both

[Blandmum]

Punished, yes, made to see the error of his behaviour, definitely, but I think that a suspension is probably a little OTT.

If this boy is repeatedly hassling your ds, it may be worthwhile getting the school to separate them into different classes

[Oblomov]

I bet the school won't suspend anyway. They sound a bit namby-pamby. I suspect they won't do anything.
Not good enough. I think it needs more than a strict talking to. Not sure what, but more than that.

[Doodle2U]

You cannot 'demand' a child's suspension.

There are processes and hoops to be jumped through before a child is suspended, including meetings with the Gov'ners and other outside agencies.

No Head in their right mind is going to roll over and say "Oh yes MrsWorriedMum21, we will bow to your demands". It's not how it works.

If I was in your position, I would try to keep calm and speak clearly and calmly to the Head. Explain that your son was frightened and that the child with the bullshit knife needs a good talking to. The Head may even extend that to a talk to the whole school at the next assembly.

[Scotia]

If the boy was searched, presumably the knife wasn't found, and the whole issue is then based on hearsay. The school can't exclude a child without proof that there was ever a knife in the first place. They only have the other boy's word on that, and that a threat was made to your ds.

I think you should speak to the head though, and ask him/her to investigate further.