Husband touched a kid to reprimand them on school trip

This, really. God, I feel old...

I have never heard it used that way. If the girl was in the seat in front perhaps her head was the only bit he could reach. It was not ideal but the over reaction on here is immense.

What punishment is the misbehaving child getting?

Obviously your DH shouldn't have done it. I presume the Head will speak to him and tell him he can't accompany your son on any trips in the future. Reporting to the police would be way over the top and a ridiculous waste of police time in my opinion. Hopefully your DH has learned a lesson not to physically chastise someone else's child!

But the husband is the adult and should know better. I wouldn’t be happy if someone touched my daughter.

And yet its ok for the Op's husband to touch a female child on the head?

Why?

I've never heard it used that way.

This. No male teacher in my lifetime (70 years) could have seriously believed it was OK to hug female pupils on the way out.

Exactly, people will say they gave someone, usually a child, ‘a tap on the head’ to mean they’ve hit someone on the head. ‘I only tapped her’ when accused of smacking etc. Not referring to OP here.

I’m assuming he is not physically reprimanding all the people who annoy him when he travels (people on trains, airplanes etc) so I guess the question you should ask him is why do it when the other person is a child / female / without her parents there?

I think people often use it as in “I don’t smack but I give a light tap if my child misbehaves” - not as a getting attention thing but as a physical back up to a verbal reprimand, basically, and that’s what I understand the OP’s DH has done here. Wouldn’t it be more usual to tap (for attention) a shoulder? No-one has ever tapped me on the head for attention!

Do not put anything in writing. He should be contrite in the meeting, but should not offer anything that isn't being asked for.

You think what the OP describes sounds like hitting, smacking or slapping? Does it chuff!

I work in a school. We just did safeguarding refreshing training. We were told we are not allowed to tap, hug a child ever.

I work in Children's services so and refreshed my safeguarding inJuly.
We got told we can tap hug etc but must use caution.

We have plenty of children who have been taken from their parents, foster placements have broken down or they have spent time in a police cell and they have been bought to our care. Most are already open to us and know the staff.
The first thing most do is fling themselves on to their case worker for a hug.
Others will sit on their bed and later on want to be held.
I had a child that begged to go home but he couldn't at 3 o'clock in the morning he was crying on the steps. The only way to sooth him wax to be behind him and gently hold and rock him while he cried.

I think I would rather leave my job than not offer appropriate co.fort to a child while they are in crisis.

SS will not care.

parents might report to the police if the child has embellished/they are very angry but the police will not care either although they might record it in some way.

it was on a coach so there are plenty of witnesses.

calm down. It was a foolish thing to do but it’s going to blow over. Head needs to talk to him to get his side and to explain to him what a prat he was.

ex teacher.

I didnt say it was the same example as the op did i.

I said that you have to be so careful when working with teenagers/childrem, as I have seen my colleagues get fired for well -meaning actions.

I am constantly trying to protect myself. I don't go alone in an elevator with the students. I don't go alone in a room with the students. I never touch the students on the shoulder.
We have to message students. I make sure my language is professional all the time In the messages.

Its a lot of pressure.

Rubbish. Hrs child was safe next to him and was not able to go anywhere. Nothing wrong with him snoozing next to his OWN child who was fine. He was not responsible for anyone else. It would be different if he was a teacher.Some of these replies are absolutely ridiculous and thank fucking god
my kids are grown up and I don’t have to deal with precious parents overreacting.

Terrible advise do not write a letter that is making it into a big deal. Seriously what are people thinking . MN making a hurricane in a tea cup

Completely irrelevant to the op’s original post - of COURSE a male teacher shouldn’t be hugging female students on the way out of the door, that’s creepy af.

Tapping someone on the head to get their attention is in no way sexual and the idea that a child would need to be “safeguarded” against this is ridiculous

Tapping as in tapping to get attention is literally what I understood this to mean so not minimising anything. Unless some people use the word to mean something more violent.

It’s not socially acceptable to tap anyone’s child because people seem to think in extremes.

Abuse is fucking horrific and should never happen so now no one ever touches a child. Corporal punishment is absolutely wrong, so now you’re not allowed to tap a child on the head to get their attention.

The world has gone mad and the impact on society will be felt moving forwards.

The security guard was not on the students social media.

We have a school phone. The students have to text our security guard on the mobile phone if they will be late (boarding school)