Strangest phone call from school

[Dorisswept]

It is the last weekend of half term here and I have just received a phone call from the headmaster of ds(17) school that 2 members of staff have been suspended pending investigation, after members of the public reported comments they allegedly made concerning ds
.no more detail than that.I don't know what to think.do I tell Dc? The last thing he needs is this with his a level exams coming up. I cannot begin to imagine what kind of comment ,who made it, who reported it, and how given it is half term?

Did the headmaster leave a contact number? To be honest this would be preying on my mind all weekend so I'd sort of want to discuss this more. It's a bit strange HM rang gave you limited info but expects you to worry all weekend.

If only choice is to wait until Monday then you will have to wait.

I sort of think if this is a police matter maybe police could help but I could be totally off the mark here.

You have to tell him. If it's social media and he also uses it he'll know very soon anyway.

Forewarned is forearmed.

I'm so sorry, OP, what a worry for you.
The head saying that he couldn't give any more info is perhaps because police are involved?
Anyway, as PPs have said I think I'd tell your DS, and be there in school first thing on Monday.
What a horrible thing to happen.

Definitely request a meeting and demand answers.

You and your son have a right to know the objective facts, especially if other pupils/parents/teachers are aware of what has happened

I'd go in to school on Monday and demand a meeting. Mention your DS' exams and say you want a joint plan with the school on the best way to manage this.
If staff members are suspended, everyone will be gossiping about it and your son has the right to be informed and prepared.
The detail of the investigation's progress may be private but their actions seem to have been in public hence its already in the public domain. Take someone with you if possible.

Would teachers be stupid enough to write offensive comments about a pupil on social media?

Can you be sure it was your son's headteacher? Could it be a hoax - his mates winding him up?

Make a list of questions and call him back today. Start the call by saying that his earlier phone call has caused a lot of concern and upset in your household and while you appreciate he doesn't yet have all the facts you need more information now or you will be taking things much further.

You can't just let this drop, you just can't. You need to find out exactly what has gone on for the moment OP will pretty much have to let it drop. She will have to allow the school time to investigate what has actually happened.

The Head can't give out any more information, safeguarding does not allow this. Remember Safeguarding is there to protect the teachers too!

But OP can contact the head, email would be good, and say that she appreciates his call but that she is, naturally, now somewhat concerned and that being left in the dark is, at the least, nerve wracking. That she appreciates his need to keep a lid on things but that she would like to be appraised of what has actually happened as soon as possible, could he give her a time frame?

At 17 is is not unlikely that her DS will have some idea that something has happened, he may even have a good guess. But, as he is 17, it might be tricky getting him to say anything. Though OP should talk to him about it, to let him know exactly what the Head has said, mainly because what the Head said is ALL the information that is officially known. All else is gossip, or someone breaking safeguarding regs!

Good luck OP. I hope it is all resolved quickly.

I would ask the head if the comments have raised safeguarding concerns and, if so, to whom have those concerns been reported. I think I would hold fire from telling DS yet. If, however, there are safeguarding concerns I think I would raise the issue so he could get any support he might need - his wellbeing must be paramount. If his work and exam results are likely to be negatively impacted then I would ask the head to ensure the exam boards are told (before rather than after the exams). Also, check with the head about how the case will be handled after he is 18.

Surely the head would have called you in to speak to you face to face, not tell you over the phone. You do need to ask your son about this. He probably knows any way because the Head would have spoken to him and not acted just on hearsay.

Tell your son what you know, don't make a big deal out of it for now. There are two possibilities here, one is that the allegations made are true and in due course you will then no doubt be made aware of what has happened in full. The other possibility is that nothing has been done wrong and these teachers have been falsely accused. To give you detailed information now about the allegation could potentially destroy their careers if they are innocent - once word gets around people believe it as truth. Your head teacher has a duty to you and your son to let you know there is an enquiry but he has a duty of care to the teachers involved as well. Once the allegation is investigated thoroughly then hopefully the right outcome will be there for all involved. Whilst I understand the feeling that you want to know everything there are good reasons for the head not to disclose at this point in time.

Sorry this is happening and I hope it turns out that nothing will adversely affect your son.

He's covering his arse in case you hear about it over the weekend

I would not rest

I'd also demand a meeting and further info. It's not ok not to tell you more. At this stage you have no clue whether this is common knowledge and your son will find out and it impact his time at school or whether it's very closely guarded. If members of the public reported then I'd say the odds are it will be the former.

Suspending two teachers is serious. Very serious. If they have been suspended in relation to your son you have a right to know why. I'd call the school tell them you will be there at 9am or whenever it opens and don't take no for an answer.

My guess is, it was on FB or similar. The teachers are friends on FB. They were slagging off your son in some way, whether his appearance, what he's like in class... some of their FB friends, i.e. members of the public thought this is very unprofessional, and contacted the head. The teachers may have thought they were OK because on their own closed FB site.

Obviously that is complete speculation, but I can't think why members of the public would otherwise complain - if they were heard in a pub or something, who would know where they worked?

I wouldn't leave it until Monday. I'd email the head now with "Urgent - Suspended Staff" in the subect and say you need to speak with him today. I'd say that you appreciate this is a difficult and sensitive issue but with the limited information he's given you that you don't know what to think.

Tell him that you haven't spoken to your son about this yet as he will obviously want to ask around his friends to see what they know. However, you don't feel you should send him into school on Monday without telling him that 2 members of staff have been suspended and that his name has been mentioned in connection with it. The head must understand that you are in a very difficult position and you have to consider the impact of knowing this and not telling your son will have on your relationship (trust issues etc).

Tell him you need support and guidance from the school and could he ring you urgently so you can discuss the best way to raise this with your son as you don't want to make the sitation any more difficult/complicated for the school than it already is. 'Members of the public' already know about this and your son's connection so I don't see how you can not mention it to him.

Good luck, I hope this turns out ok for you and your son.

Firstly, are you sure it was the Head who phone you?

Secondly, while specific details might not be forthcoming, they should be able to answer questions that relate directly to your ds such as:

1. Is this common knowledge/are other pupils likely to be aware or know about this?

1. Is ds likely to need to make a statement/give evidence at any point?

1. Is there any likelihood ds could come to harm as a result of the incident?

1. What action can/should we be taking to ensure ds's wellbeing?

1. What should we tell ds?

1. How will the school be handling this with the pupils including ds?

Assuming it was the head and not a hoax.

Are you very good friends with any of the other mothers ...... if so you could call and ask if they've heard anything?

After all members of the public have reported something, so there must be more people in the know.

Google the school.
Search for your son's name on the Internet.
Your son will obviously want to know details and that could cause worry rather than the teachers' conduct. I'm surprised that you didn't ask more like who's investigating them (head? Police?) and where things go from here.

A teacher at our school ended up in serious legal problems and the school didn't/couldn't inform parents until after online news outlets had reported it. (Dd was sent a link via social media on Tuesday evening and school sent out emails the next day) What Im saying is that it's better to hear it from you than school friends. The rumour mill could distort it into something it isn't. The kids will notice a sudden absence of their teacher.

Maroon is probably as close as you can guess. Talking negatively about a student who could be identified, is enough to trigger a suspension. They don't have to have been really horrid about him.

Please, OP, all the talk about arse covering, demanding, etc isn't helpful. The Head would have had to tell you, in case you hear about it from elsewhere, but may have absolutely nothing else he can divulge yet. You may never know details, especially if it turns out to be something of nothing.

Try to stay calm until you can talk to the Head again. And do talk to your son, he is 17! Something some posters seem to have forgotten. Treat him like an adult and be there to support him.

Don't rule out hoax or interfering eavesdropper overheard your son bring talked about in public place and got hold of your number?

Don't say anything to DS as there is no need for him to know right now. Go into school after the holidays and discuss the matter. depending on the matter and input, it maybe appropriate/possible to inform him after the exams

With such an issue, it will be treated totally confidential and so hardly anyone will know about it. Just the few people directly involved and even then they will be directed not to discuss matters.

Discuss with the head about how widespread the information is. If it's gossip going around you might need to inform your son. However if it's contained and being treated confidentially, don't tell him yet!

'I guess they can't give details because it's being investigated but wanted to give you a heads up so that you couldn't complain that you had to hear about it from someone else.'
I think this is probably the case.

Have you got the heads email address? (Or could you guess it knowing another member of staff email address?) I would want to email today asking him to contact me again, if you don't already have his telephone number.

I would think your DS is going to hear about it very soon if its on social media.