School used DD to advertise private businesses without our knowledge.

[m011y]

Sorry, new to MN and posted under staffroom, but should have been here. AIBU.
DC school has a 'business club'. We are not part of the club and as far as I can work out its a networking organisation for parents of small businesses. Financial support of the school is not a prerequisite to joining. The business club produces a termly magazine, mostly of advertising stuff, which is also uploaded to a website. This week the magazine came home with photographs of our DD in her school uniform holding placards promoting private businesses. We don't know the businesses or their owners and didn't consent to this. We agreed (signed the form)that DC could be photographed and appear on the school website/prospectus or around the school, but this is , in our opinion, entirely different from using our DD to promote private businesses, some of which don't even support the school financially. We are furious and have emailed the club and the head and are waiting a reply. AIBU?

That's tricky. The existence of the club in the first place blurs the lines a bit.

How did these photos come to be taken?

The photos were obviously taken at some point in school time- we knew nothing about it.

Talk to the school?

You're not happy so complain & get the photos destroyed.

We are waiting for a response from the school. As for having the photos destroyed- they've already been distributed to 200 families. We are going to try to stop them being uploaded to the business club website.

In our schools, you sign a form stating you are happy for photos to be taken and for use in which ever way the schools wish have you signed anything like this

Ilovegin, no we consented to photos being used on the school website/prospectus and around school.

If it's a school club then I think it's covered in what you signed

I agree with you OP. The business club is not part of the school remit at all imo.

No, YANBU and it sounds like a breach of trust to me. Agreeing to photos within school is very different to being used for general advertising purposes, I’d be complaining to governors and making other parents aware as well.

It's an extension of a school newsletter. So yes you have consented

It’s not like Young Enterprise. This is not a children’s club, according to the OP.

No, it's a mini-Freemasons for the parents (shudder) and the school will probably argue that it's an official club and so it's covered.

So OP'needs to decide quite how annoyed she is and how much of a fuss she wants to make and maybe find the wording of the original photographic release that she signed.

Why are you furious? Genuine question. What's the actual problem with the photos? Is it that you don't want your DD recognised in her school uniform or something?

confusedlittleone. It's a magazine advertising private businesses, most of whom, (I assume) have children at the school. None of the businesses are obliged to financially support the school.i don't see that it's an extension of the school newsletter, it's produced by private business owners to promote their businesses. If You are saying this is ok then M&S could join the club use my daughter (or any other kid) as free modelling and splash them over the tv/internet/billboards and I can do nothing about it?

Is the magazine handed out at school?

strugglingtodomybest, we are furious because:

1. The presence of our DD implies our association and endorsement of the companies. We know nothing about any of the companies other than what it says on the add and we've never met the owners. THere are at least 2 companies listed that had our DD been photographed with we'd be requesting that all the mags were recalled as we don't like what the companies do.
2. We are pretty private people. There are no pics of our children on fb or any other social media. We thought long and hard about signing the consent form to allow any pictures at all be taken and used by the school. we wouldn't mind if their were photos of our kids directly promoting the school.

confusedlittleone the mag is handed out at school and uploaded onto the business club website. I haven't dared go onto the webpages of the businesses yet to see if they have also uploaded the pictures....I don't think my blood pressure could take it!

None of the businesses are obliged to financially support the school

You keep repeating that.

Why do you think that fact is of especial significance?

The connection isn't that they're sponsors of the school, but that they're businesses owned by parents in the school's "business club".

Are you saying that you'd be happier if these were businesses that were obliged to financially support the school?

DD is 5, so not old enough to consent herself. She is standing/sitting (there are 3 different companies she is photographed with) holding professionally made placards with all the business details on them.

Peng she is a minor so parents have to consent or not.

First thing to do is need to find the permission form you signed and see the exact wording.