Dc absent from school, so school called police

[angelinheaven]

Hi all, wasn't sure where to post, so posted here for traffic.
My dc was absent from school today, and I wasn't well either so at 7:10 am I emailed school so didn't have to think about ringing them at 9am.
Anyway where I live I get no mobile phone signal if downstairs, and the school tried calling me twice, and then called my mum, who was at work so did not answer her mobile either. So the school then called the police to say they where concerned that dc wasn't at school and they couldn't get hold of me.
So I then had a police officer knocking at my door!!!!!!!
Head teacher said she was worried and the reason why they didn't read my email was because the receptionist was off ill and no one else can access the school emails.
I am in shock that this has even happened, is this normal. My dc is never absent from school, and before anyone asks we have no issues with care of my dc or social services etc.
So just really confused, teacher did apologies, but still!!!!!! X

Message from MNHQ: We've been asked to put a trigger warning on this thread because there's some distressing content further down about a recent news story involving a child.

Phone calls and emails can be faked, but I don't think this policy is imposed because they're worried about master criminals abducting the family, it's because they're worried about the more prosaic causes of mum having a brain haemorrhage/being dead drunk (not a possibility mentioned so far, but sadly can't be ruled out).

TBH, I think the school was just following procedure here and although it turned out to be a waste of police time on this occasion, that might not have been the case.

I had a text message to say that my DD was absent at school one day at around 11.30, I rang the school obviously quite worried (as I had waved her off at usual time) and it then took a further 20 minutes to establish she was actually in school. I pointed out that (in the v.unlikely) event she had been abducted on her way to school sending me a snotty text at 11.30 to enquire of her whereabouts wasn't overly helpful, it takes that long to process all the register info though apparently.

I think that sounds like a very on the ball and caring school.

You said yourself DC is rarely off so they've picked up an anomaly in your situation and arranged a welfare check.

I work in a school office and if we can't make contact with the parents of an absent child a member of staff will go round.

If they do this for every case every day I think that is a waste of police time. We visit someone most days!

And if I was going to be off sick I'd only ever email my team - it wouldn't occur to me to ring.

Yes, I get that they couldn't read the email, but it must have been pretty embarassing when the OP said 'but I emailed at 7am' and the school had to admit they can't access that contact with parents!

I was also thinking that certainly teenagers could fake their own absence on a phone line, much like -I- people used to write sick notes from their 'parents' to get out of PE.

There was a case recently in which a 4yr old (in reception at school) starved to death next to his mother's dead body after she died suddenly. The school had not escalated his unexpected absence. I think policies are being written to avoid a similar tragedy

I do sympathise that it would be a shock, but you wouldn't need to be a master criminal to fake an email. Masking an email with someone else's email address is really, really simple to do. It's done legitimately for 'delegate' access (e.g. by secretaries). But it's also done pretty simply for less wholesome reasons like spamming and fraud.

It would be very, very easy to send a faked email. Even the child themself could do it if they had access to an email account left logged in.

And abduction by family members like estranged fathers (or mothers) is relatively common.

Emails should always be followed up with a call anyway.

Haven't RTFT but if you don't have good mobile signal and you emailed from your phone your email would likely not have sent anyway.

Mumoftwoyoungkids

If you give your name I can mock up an email account in less than 3 minutes.

All of the messages left on the messaging system (that we have) start with you where called today by (number) very easy to check on sims and if the number isn't the same as on the system a phonecall home is made to the numbers that we have on the system..

Boneyback

Of course you can - so could I - but the school also has my email address so would be able to see that the email came from [email protected] rather than [email protected]. Which would raise just as many alarm bells as the call being made from a different number.

Either the school is full of sleuths who check phone numbers, email addresses etc for discrepancies or (far more likely) the receptionist listens very very quickly to a load of messages / reads a load of emails whilst marking off who is absent and the master criminals get away with it.

lol mobile signal is different from internet connectivity.

They have a duty of care. Not much point them having your mum's number if she can't answer her phone.

Mumoftwoyoungkids

As I said if the email wasn't on the system the parent would be rung.

but you and others seem to want to find the actions of the school wrong

The only thing that is shocking is the bad process around the email!

Everything else I'd imagine is fairly standard.

Emailing the generic email address wasn't the best idea. Our school receives approx 500 emails a day. They will have a dedicated answer phone option specifically so that they can keep a tight tab on absences and to ensure they are safe.

I would imagine a large number of children can access their parents' email accounts (especially if they are set to be always logged on at the family computer or set up on an iPad/smartphone) and could then send a school an email when they are truanting. Therefore, I think a phone or in person contact is the right process.

babyturtles some devices need both to work. I can send an email on my iPad without signal but not my phone - it will hold the email until there is signal.

My children (age 10, 7 and 5) have had just 4 days off total between them since my eldest started so if mine were off school and I hadn't been contactable I wouldn't be the least bit surprised that they would either a) pop round, (we're very close to the school) or b) possibly ask the police for a welfare check,

I suppose if it's unusual for a child to be off then it's reasonable for the school to worry.

Our schools would allow a message to be left (rang at whatever time). It's all automated telephone system to report student absence.

I would never rely on any organisation to read an email. Half the time I can't rely on colleagues to read them, either, for that matter.

Haven't RTFT but if you don't have good mobile signal and you emailed from your phone your email would likely not have sent anyway.

She was at home so she probably had Wifi innit. No phone signal needed.

Its school policy in the local authority i work for. No its not unreasonable.

A child went missing. The parents didnt know until home time. That is why the policy came into being. The police are the last resort.

They should sort out their email so someone can read emails before contacting police, but otherwise it makes sense to escalate if they haven't contacted a parent.

If a parent is deaf or has a disability making phones difficult, then emailing in would be reasonable and schools should expect some parents will need to do so, as well as making sense for parents who are sick along with their children.