Appealing a suspension

[OckRd]

DS has recently been suspended from school for seven weeks (effectively permanently as he is in his last year) for climbing scaffolding on an historic school building. Case not helped by the 5 pints of beer. We do not live in the UK and he has only been at the school for 6th Form (since September 2019 - so he has barely been at school at all). Otherwise unblemished record - indeed glowing character references from his housemaster. Goverrors' appeal next week. Does anyone else have a feeling for the severity of the penalty?

It’s hard to see what the grounds for appeal would be. How can that behaviour be excused?

My thought is that you are extremely lucky that this was not a straight expulsion (as you say, no practical difference at this point in the school year, but kinder if he ever needs a reference)

He has been very lucky to get off so lightly

Is it even worth appealing?

Oooh! I don't think I could have a brass enough neck to appeal that.

Stupidity in climbing the scaffolding.

Possible damage done by climbing scaffolding.

Danger posed to himself and others, increased if he needed rescuing.

Add to that being pissed and presumably belligerent when brooked.

There are all sorts of reasons that would be a flat "sod off" from the school.

And as many if not more from you. You need to parent this one. He has to accept the consequences not his actions and you need to steer him to accept that the whole fault is his, that the school are absolutely correct with their response and that he has to do some serious apologising before he sets about finding a way to correct any damage he has done to his sitting of exams etc.

I suspect the school could be persuaded to allow him to sit exams there, heavily chaperoned, which cost them even more money and inconvenience. But he has to brooch that with them, fully understanding that they might say no!

Basically here is where he has to step out of his carefree childhood and get to grips with being an adult. Your task is to ensure that he makes that step this time, not after the next fuck up, or the one after that, or after that etc.

What grounds are you appealing on? What would you think would be an appropriate punishment?

Drinking the 5 pints is bad enough at school but climbing on the scaffolding, he could have died.

I would appeal on the grounds that he has a good record. This was a one off moment of madness. There is no pattern of behaviour, no violence or malice. No harm intended to anyone. No victim. The only benefit the punishment might bring is a deterrent I guess as what he did was so dangerous. Is there any way you can get anonymous details of previous suspensions the school has issued? I imagine they will mostly be for violence and his act will seem less severe in comparison. Good luck.

OP that's massively unsafe and irresponsible. I don't think you have a case at all and what would be the point of pursuing this?

Summer simply being drunk would be enough. Many VI forms and colleges have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol.

His best bet is to be utterly contrite and to ask about exams and accessing materials and support to study at home. He'll get more offered that way than trying to talk away such stupidity

I would not appeal in those circumstances.

I would also get him to write a very long essay on how he understands how dangerous it was, the impact on him in not finishing the year and how sorry he is. I think the punishment is way too hefty and I think they will reduce it.

That would warrant an expulsion. The school have been kind enough to call it a suspension as he is leaving, which will be far better for his reference and long term prospects. They have probably done that because of his exemplary record.
Will he miss any assessments for calculated grades? That is the only thing I would be even trying to appeal - and schools will have systems for suspended pupils to come in to sit assessments, so find out about arrangements for those.

Outside the UK, getting steaming drunk is seen as exacerbation not mitigation, as it should be. Lucky he didn't break his neck.

Best bet is to admit he was a total dickhead and ask for help with any missed academic bits. Lesson learned - too much booze makes you an arse.

I would imagine school will want to throw the book at him and make him an example in the hope of deterring others from similar stupidity. I’d forget about appealing the suspension and concentrate on trying to enable him to somehow sit his exams. I’d also think myself very lucky that a drunk, unqualified, unharnessed child didn’t fall off the scaffolding and end up very seriously injured/dead.

Can’t see you have any grounds for appeal. The school did the right thing in my view. They quite rightly have no tolerance for reckless behaviour like this.

I can’t believe you’re appealing this.

I’m beginning to think your son hasn’t picked his entitled behaviour up from nowhere.

Why are you appealing?

Is it because he'll miss final exams? If so I'd ask for support in them finding somewhere he can take them and suck up any financial cost of that.

If he's finished his exams and it's simply they won't allow him on-site for any end of year things then I wouldn't have the brass neck to appeal. He got pissed and climbed scaffolding. Why should they trust he won't do something utterly stupid again during the end of year high jinx?

We entirely accept that this behaviour was foolhardy and irresponsible and that our son deserves to be punished. He behaved entirely appropriately when apprehended and has apologised to all concerned (by letter where necessary). There are some more technical grounds for appeal that I don't think it appropriate to go into here but essentially we want to appeal the length of the suspension. This punishment seems to be par for the course for offences such as selling drugs to other pupils and setting fire to the chemistry labs - which are not the same as an idiotic unpremeditated act without malice aforethought. I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had actual experience of this kind of thing... rather than those who simply want to make judgmental remarks.

You have a very strange attitude to all this, unless it's just your writing style.

Almost as though 'it's to be expected' or that somewhere deep inside you find it mildly amusing.

I wouldn't bother appealing to be honest.

OckRd I do have experience of this kind of thing. I commented above. I still don't think you have grounds for appeal.
But you haven't answered the question several people have asked, what is the situation with his assessments?

I do have experience, I was the contact at college for pupils not allowed back in site yet still privileged to maintain IT access and to have exam access arranged on site.

As pp has said, it is likely he would have been expelled had it not been so close to the end of his time their. That indicates that they are not aiming to be totally punitive and would probably be open to discussion about remote access and exams.

The thing is, setting fire to the chemistry labs could also be down to a moment of foolhardiness. So it's not that different from what your son did. I don't think that you trying to reduce his punishment is going to teach him any valuable lessons whereas you saying, well, you were stupid and disrespectful to school property and now have to face the penalty the school deem appropriate just might.

@OckRd

We entirely accept that this behaviour was foolhardy and irresponsible and that our son deserves to be punished. He behaved entirely appropriately when apprehended and has apologised to all concerned (by letter where necessary). There are some more technical grounds for appeal that I don't think it appropriate to go into here but essentially we want to appeal the length of the suspension. This punishment seems to be par for the course for offences such as selling drugs to other pupils and setting fire to the chemistry labs - which are not the same as an idiotic unpremeditated act without malice aforethought. I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had actual experience of this kind of thing... rather than those who simply want to make judgmental remarks.

A seven week suspension seems quite a light punishment, that's why you are being told not to appeal. The other examples you mention - arson, anything to do with drugs - would be expulsion, not suspension.

What difference will this have on his future exactly?

Op
It would seem to me that his unblemished record to now was the reason that he avoided a straight expulsion. The suspension was a a kinder option. I don't see any grounds for appeal and wonder what it would achieve . Would 6 weeks instead of 7 make any meaningful difference ?
I know you and he are disappointed but I think this might not be a good use of time and energy.

I've often "accidentally" drunk 5 beers before. Absolutely no for thought whatsoever. No need to plan how to get hold of them or any control over drinking them

I accept the climbing the scaffolding may have been a moment of drunken foolishness but he drank alcohol - I assume during the school day on school site? That was premeditated.

So you need to find a way to make sure he gets his grades and assessments.

Maybe they are fed up of stupid behaviour if they are use to having to punish for drug dealing and setting fire to chem labs? Just a thought but perhaps it's not the school at fault here but rather a group of parents and students who think consequences are beneath them?