Temporary exclusion and threatened permanent exclusion

I don't think many posters have said he should be thrown out of school. I have certainly been trying to advise on how to keep him there by handling the meeting properly.

Having read the Glasgow policy, it clearly says schools must have their own policies as well. Therefore, it should be on the school website. It is normal for a local authority to respond to legislation by such a circular and no doubt other Scottish authorities have the same guidance. The guidance is about procedures that must be followed so is a useful starting point but won't be precise regarding the school's policy. The school should have it on their website somewhere or it may be contained in their Exclusion Policy or Behaviour Policy or Discipline Policy.

It is clear that a parent must be fully informed of all relevant policies so this is vital. It is also vital that the incident has been investigated and notes kept. In terms of health, it is clear the school has to take drug misuse seriously. Therefore it is sensible to go into any meeting asking for help for "bunny". Taking the incident seriously is also vital and not trying to minimise the problem will be essential. Working with the school, if they are prepared to keep him and he didn't sell drugs, is what the meeting will try and set up. However, to do any of this, he will need to change his attitude and accept what he did was unacceptable. You will need to demonstrate you will support him and agree to this strategy.

When posters say children who have taken drugs should not be in school, this is utterly wishful thinking. Of course the majority stay in school - where else could they go? Drug takers schools? Prus would be overflowing. They do need to be monitored and schools will wish to minimise their impact on others. The vast majority of the time, other children think drug takers are "scum" anyway and do not want anything to do with them. When they get to university, they may have a change of heart though!!! A change of educational establishment is often a green light to experimentation.

I have asked for the thread to be deleted

What a suprise...

Seems to me that your total lack of decency to others has rubbed off on your son fully so you can be proud to say like mother like son.
I hope gets permanent exclusion as other children have the right to be going to school without scum bringing in drugs.
As the saying is when you break the law you loose your rights as I hope the case is here,and a shame he wasn't charged with possession by the police also
I love the fact you think you know better than the school and if they choose to exclude fully you'll have lovely fun trying get your appeal case held before he turns 16,gonna look good on university application "missed a number months of schooling due to been on cloud 9"

Op , I assume that you have read your local authority's policy for dealing with drug misuse in schools ?

Here for example , is Glasgow City Council's policy

www.eis.org.uk/Glasgow/images/mc71a_1207%20drug%20misue%20inc'%20aclohol.pdf

I assume that you do not live in Glasgow as they have a number of permanently excluded pupils but there will be a similar policy in your area .

Does you child have a social worker ? Have you been in touch with your Community Addictions Team .

So, is that the strategy you'll. be taking as everyone has been saying from the get go? Or a list of demands of his rights plus technical reasons why they can't permanently exclude him as you've been saying?

What have you got in place to show "how his behaviour will be different in future"?

How are you going to ensure he gives "a meaningful apology" since neither of you really consider he did anything wrong and believe that there is no need to follow rules "for the sakes of it".

How will you show that you are supporting the school and monitoring him when you have said that you can't get too worked up about what he's done?

This will require a sea change in your and his attitude / strategy it seems to me.

All the other children have a right to be educated without children like your son peddling drugs

where does OP say that this was the case? oh yes she didnt say it, you just made it up....

I notice that the OP said her Scottish Local Authority had not permanently excluded any children in the last 10 years. I have now looked at the relevant Scottish legislation on school exclusions, and Scottish Local Authorities can devolve these decisions to schools. It may be this LA has taken up this option and therefore it appears no child has been permanently excluded. I worked in an English LA and dealt with excluded children - none in 10 years would have been close to a miracle.

I suspect it will be.

I'm wondering if the OP's DS not giving up the dealer is going to be a major sticking point.

If he is doing his Nat 5s this year, he is only 15 and could still be just 14. What he has done is serious and he needs to recognise it as such (as do you, so that the school knows you're also taking it seriously). So his education will continue - whether that is at this school or through other means is still up in the air.

It is difficult to exclude but that's not the attitude you should be going to the meeting with. You should be going with a constructive attitude about how to support the school in its zero tolerance approach.

Ds' school had problems last term with fire alarms being set off repeatedly and then fireworks being set off within the school (this during a real and serious evacuation of the school due to a potentially dangerous power problem ). The culprit(s) have been excluded - don't know if it was permanently, but given that safety was involved, I'm not sure they would be welcome back.

If you don't want your ds to be excluded permanently or moved to another school, then make sure to go to this meeting with a positive attitude about how you can support the school.

Only in terms of what their policy says.
A lot of schools will actually just give a FTE for smoking or possession of cannabis. The PEX comes with selling or buying on school property. But it depends on the policy.

Cauliflower- I think the fact that this child broke the law on school grounds will have a huge impact on the decision made by the senior team.

Sorry can't advise but I do feel for you - some kids (mine included) only learn by making mistakes. Stupid yes but not necessarily evil!! In my experience some of the most awful kids are well within the law but mean and nasty and I always think they wrongly avoid punishment.

No sorry I didn't make myself clear. My point is that it doesn't matter that cannabis is legal or illegal; it of course does matter that the exclusion is done legally.

Cauliflower

It really does matter that the exclusion is done legally (the school's policy has to stand up to legal scrutiny), Because the exclusions can be overturned.

Although if the school and LEA has gone to the trouble of removing the child from the register, I am not sure that I would want my child to go back.

It's actually not hugely relevant whether it's legal or illegal in this situation. It matters what the school's policy is, because that is what will be followed.

The reason your son doesn't think it's a big deal is because you don't. If he knew you would go absolutely ape shit he would either have been deterred from doing this in the first place or he would be in a complete state of panic and contrition right now.

Does it say that they are all pointing the finger at him?

Good advice from spanieleyes and luna.

If all the other students involved state that OPs son provided the weed (and he was found with it on him), and the OPs son refuses to name a dealer, I imagine the school is thinking that the supplier is the OPs son.

The school must consider the temporary exclusion satisfactorily resolved before the child gets back again.

I know of someone who is in the position of having refused to leave post compulsory education. They didn't commit a crime but behaved extremely poorly time and time again yet refused to sign their leavers form. It is a really awful situation for everyone involved to be in. And not one which any sensible parent, student or school wants to be in.

Seeing as there were a number caught I don't see how they can pin it on op's son.

My understanding from the op was that they were on school grounds and were seen. CCTV possibly? But I may be making that up. Our grounds are extensive and have a big grey area between public access and our area. It would be extremely easy for kids to do this.

I think the school is also a bit slow to change terminology. "Permanent exclusion" isn't used any more, it's "removal from the register" and OP is correct in saying this is very uncommon. However, the stats don't record the children who are excluded and whose parents agree that it would be better for them to move to another school. Local Authority responsibility ends age 16 - after that, they don't have to arrange alternative education for the child excluded.

The Local Authority have to keep educating OP's child until 16, but that doesn't have to be at his school. It could be at another school in the area or they could arrange home tuition.

www.gov.scot/Publications/2003/11/18496/28827

Still think the best strategy is a very apologetic, contrite and embarrassed one rather than an all guns blazing I KNOW MY RIGHTS one.

If they think he is the dealer, he will likely be put in the position of "name the dealer or we will assume it is you." And frankly, I can't blame the school for that.

The school still has more than enough time to follow the process and formally permanently exclude him. As far as I am aware whilst completing this process he would not be allowed back into the current school- is this different for Scotland, can anyone correct me?

I am still confused how the teachers saw them, where they actually smoking it in on school premises?

My other thought is if he is smoking weed is he really not smoking cigarettes either?

I am sure the lawyers you have seen are very good but the school will know the policies and processes inside out/back to front and spelt backwards - if they are going to get him out they will. If they are wavering it will very much depend on how he and you conduct yourselves in the meeting - arrogance never gives a good impression but a bit of remorse and a touch of humility may go a long way.