My colleague has been reported to school for using her mobile whilst driving?

[scottishegg]

Hi all a teacher at my daughters local school was driving through the local town apparently on her phone when driving and has been reported to our headteacher by another parent the head has taken no further action but just informed her she was seen ( she hasn't yet confirmed or denied this) It was on a weekend in her own vehicle (no one else was in the car)

Who's being unreasonable? The parent for reporting it or the staff member for doing it?

A few years ago someone reported one of our support workers to the Trust for driving dangerously. Gave his name, full description, car reg the lot. Even intimated that they were drunk.
Turns out the SW had been in Florida at the time and the reporter was a just a malicious somebody with a vendetta who, for some reason, was intent on making trouble for them at work.

Have to say I am laughing at the parent running to the head teacher to tell. Hilarious! What does if have to do with the HT? I'd be telling her as much if it were me

Well the teacher was breaking the law. Does she ever drive pupils anywhere? I would be unhappy about anyone who drives like that driving my grandchildren around. It isn't just that she was using her phone it is her disregard for perfectly reasonable driving laws that are there for safety.

Who is being unreasonable?

Your colleague. Simple as. She shouldn't have been on her mobile phone while driving (unless it was bluetooth enabled so that she wouldn't be holding the phone) but better still shouldn't have been driving while on the phone full stop!!

I think the parent should have firstly reported the incident to the police (so that the driver could be given points on their license) and then to their employer (to let them know that one of their employees was seen to be breaking the law).

Good on this parent I say!

We've had many debates on here about drunk driving and the reality is unless the police officer witnesses the offence they won't/ can't so anything. So telling both HT and police would be pointless

"phone use whilst driving is absolutely rife. People who ride bikes have a unique position to witness it all "

Yes. First sign is being unable to hold a line, second is usually variable speed. I really wish there was some sort of test of intelligence and empathy as part of the driving test. Half of the people I see on the roads don't have the cognitive ability to be there.

If the teacher was on the phone whilst driving, she had gone well beyond BU.

The police wouldn't do anything on just a single person's report, which could be malicious anyway, I doubt.

If she admits she did it, then I think she's being UR simply because she shouldn't be doing it.

Having said that I was tempted once to contact a local school when I saw a teacher driving out of school gounds on their mobile. The long and windy driveway without a pavement is used by a number of pupils to walk out of school and I did feel that was a school concern.

Hi all the parent who apparently witnessed it reported she is a prolific complainer but there is nothing to suggest this isn't true. Something I forgot to mention was the teacher was apparently stationary at the time assuming due to a traffic jam

#reported it

"I do find it quite bizarre that the assumption is that the teacher is guilty."

If someone saw the teacher on their phone whilst driving, surely they are guilty, Reddragon?

I read somewhere that driving whilst texting or being on the phone is as dangerous as driving whilst under the influence of alcohol - not sure if I have remembered that correctly - but the fact remains that you cannot be driving well if you are not giving it your full attention.

Dh and I have just got a new (to us) car - it is significantly more modern than anything we've driven before, and one of the 'toys' it has is bluetooth, so you can make and answer calls in the car. We have decided that we will not be using this facility whilst driving - only if the car is parked up - because we do not think we can concentrate properly on the road otherwise.

I see dozens of people using their phones in the car on a daily basis, you cant go around reporting all of them, its the Policie job to catch them not some jumped up knobhead with nothing better to do. You dont see people going around snitching on people who speed and thats also illegal...

The police wont do fuck all, it'll be one persons word against the other if the teacher denies it, maybe it was malicious because the Parent doesnt like the teacher for not putting her child as lead in the school play...

Like jossies I see people using phones everyday whilst at the wheel of cars/ vans etc. I even see cyclists wobbling along reading texts.
Who's to say this wasn't a malicious accusation because their precious child has misbehaved and been punished?

sounds more like

oh sorry

sounds like harassment to me. worth logging the person reporting plus day and time in case they continue to make malicious allegations

the police can also speak to them more informally if it continues

johnsonastills.com/harassment-warnings

this is info about harassment warnings if another allegation is made

Colleague should have been reported to the Police, although not much they can do without seeing it first hand. Maybe the reporter believed a word with the head was the best route so head could have a word about breaking the law.

Ignore me its moved on!

This is why many teachers don't have a visible life outside school. No open access to social media, no socialising in their own town, no going to the gym, etc.

Some busybody will always try to make something of any action. Not saying the teacher was in the right, just saying that living under such a spotlight all the time is really soul destroying. Even when it doesn't actually happen the possibility can be really trying.

Does this work both ways? Several parents at my school don't even appear to own child seats and drive off with their DCs bouncing around in the car like happy labradors - should the school be reporting them to somebody?

or should I - it really bothers me

Surely there is a big difference between a teacher having a social life, and a teacher doing something blatantly dangerous, LazyLouLou?

That's why I included "Not saying the teacher was in the right", SDT.

But as we receive complaints about teachers doing all sorts of apparently reprehensible things it can be really intrusive.

For example, would you have contacted a college principal to tell him that one of his members of staff had been seen out really late, dancing and drinking on a Friday night? I wouldn't. But did have to talk to a very angry mum who had!

I'm still not sure if she was just 'getting in first' as she was also out late, dancing and drinking..... or she woudn't have seen him