DS(12) not allowed to walk home because of the lightening

[FrancineSmith]

DS has just finished a sports fixture at school and phoned me to say I need to pick him up as the PE department won't let him walk home now because of the lightening. He walks to and from school every day (it's less than a mile away). We have a storm literally just beginning - thunder, a few flashes and rain has started as I type this. I was going to suggest I picked him up anyway, but AIBU to think it's a bit nuts not to let him go because of the weather? And what if I didn't have a car? Are they overreacting, or am I a cruel and heartless mother?

The father and two children struck today were walking across a gravel sports pitch.
School are right in this instance if a storm is overhead.

That happened when I was at school. About 5 minutes after they made this announcement in our class, a bolt of lightening shot down and hit the playground.

I'd have gone to pick them up without the school phoning me, we just had thunder overhead and mine wouldn't have walked home.

MadamDeath we have an outdoor pool and the rules are the same regarding thunder. I think it's fairly standard guidelines now.

Ok I should have read it again and not been on Mumsnet and watching TV at the same time. PE dept won't let him walk home and asks all kids with a phone to ring parents/ carers because teachers from PE dept are concerned about children walking home in lightning. Last night lightning struck a short distance from where we were driving. It hit the power cables and set on fire.
I've been hit twice, it can happen.

Where I live (at altitude) lightning strikes are really common. The first few times I went out with my umbrella during a storm people would come running and tell me to get inside! Kids aren't allowed out during storms either, one of the teachers at my kids' school got struck last year at playtime.

So maybe my sense of danger is skewed but I'd pick him up!

They are being ridiculous, what about parents without a car?!

Presumably the children are expected to wait until the storm is over.

Considering how many people were hit by lightning recently, I think it's reasonable of the school to not take any risks.

Not RTFT but don't think they were overreacting. People have been hit by lightning when there was blue sky all around them! Obviously you can't do anything about that but if you can actually hear thunder it's best to wait or travel by car (ok a tree could fall on you but the car itself is safe).

I was walking home from my local railway station today when it started to thunder (didn't see any lightning). I did cross the road to avoid walking near an isolated tall tree but carried on as I was nearer home than the station. Had I been further back I'd have waited in a shop.

If it's true that lightning always goes for the tallest place houses would never get struck unless they were lone houses. But they get struck when they're on a big housing estate.

They showed on the news where the dad and children were hit. There were some low metal railings fairly close by but it didn't seem really exposed and they weren't under a tree or anything. My first thought was, oh my goodness I would definitely have chanced it and been hit in the same situation.

Um well a tiny bit outing perhaps but I was on my balcony, which i kind of assumed acted as at least a partial faraday cage. Wrongly it seems... It was the first strike of the storm and I was turning to go indoors when I heard the thunder. I think the lightning hit the building and maybe arced through me? I don't know.
I had superficial burns and had to go to hospital to get checked out as my heart was doing funny things. I was off work for a week - it's hard to describe but I felt like my brain has been turned off and was booting back up. I felt mentally very odd for a few weeks, long after the physical marks had healed.
Three other people in our town were hit the same week.
My boss didn't really believe me I think - it was a frightening experience and I get twitchy when storms are even mentioned.

I really hope those hit this weekend are ok. My heart goes out to them.,

I want to know what a Faraday cage is

Also, one reason to not want anyone young to walk home in a lightning storm is because instinct tells you to hide under a tree which is the WORST place to be.

Zaurak

Thanks sissy.

I think the school were being sensible. I'm sure they'd have allowed the children to stay at school until the storm passed if they couldn't get a lift home.

When we were on holiday , there was a thunder storm when we were on the beach, and the police came to clear everyone off the beach .

Reverse it - children are sent off home as if nothing was happening. One of them gets struck by lightning on the way. Resulting thread...

AIBU? Who the fuck let the kids go home on their own in a storm?

Wow Zaurak that's a story, wish you all the best going forward

Zaurak So glad you survived to tell the tale. That must have been a huge electric shock and such a freak accident. There is a saying that lightning never strikes twice but I don't blame you for feeling wary. What an awful experience.

Thanks :)

I did buy a lottery ticket - didn't win though (other than being alive...)

Saw on the news that 8,000 lightening strikes were reported nationwide today.

thanks littlemonkey5, very good fo you.

a side effect - it's kind of a cool way to learn a bit about science isn't it? So we might as well get it right when we talk to kids about it

brilliant clip, I'm linking to it again.

I want to know what a Faraday cage is

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6XGKZxYxA

That is a great clip, thanks for linking