What to do about school issue.

[Serena1977]

Dd8 is in year 4. Her teacher has spoken to the class about somebody who has been eating chocolate and sweets everyday in the toilets and leaving wrappers. Dd says it's been going on for ages. It's that class because toilets are segregated because of covid.

They still dont know who it is and apparently the class get a talking to every time it happens.

The class have lost playtime etc. My dd was upset tonight because she said she found some chewing gum on the floor in there and put it down the toilet so she wouldn't lose her break but then worried she might have caught covid from it.

But the thing that has upset her the most, the teacher has said she might get the caretaker to install a camera in the toilets to find out who it is.

I don't think a camera would be allowed to be installed but nonetheless it has really bothered dd.

Any advice please?

Has this issue been raised with parents? I mean surely a parent would know if their child has access to sweets etc to take to school at that age. I think the school really need to work on establishing who is the likely culprit rather than intimidating the children - presumably with the intention of hoping that they will tell on the culprit!

Not raised with parents officially but the kids have told parents.

I think the teacher is raising the threats to hope the culprit admits it.

When something similar happened when I was a kid, the teach searched everyone's bags one morning to find who it was. They did!
Not sure that would be allowed now but really, this should have been raised with the parents.

The only option really would be to have someone standing nearby the toilets and going in to check it after every child from now until they catch them.

I would raise it as whole class punishments are not ok.

They need to quietly try to find out who it is.

The teacher is being pretty stupid making such a fuss - of course it isn't ideal but it isn't disruptive or violent so they maybe need to dial it down a bit.

Whta an incredibly stupid way of dealing with the issue. I think even the threat of installing cameras in toilets is an invidious, bullying power trip by the teacher and deserves a safeguarding report at absolute minimum.
Fucking hell, it's hardly Sherlock Holmes is it? It really can't be that hard to discover and also, it's not ideal but hardly crime of the century.

Whole class punishments and removal of outdoor play time is not acceptable.