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?

It's the school's business club's newsletter/magazine. The club is a part of the school community. Hence why it will be covered by the consent form you signed.
As I said above, your advertisement argument is shaky considering you have lots of provisos about when advertising would be ok (if it was the school; if it related to a financial benefit). However, it would be fine and accurate to say the photo implies your DD and family are endorsing a business and that is an inappropriate use of her image in your opinion.

Yanbu, complain and withdraw consent completely, as they have been disingenuous. It wouldn't have been difficult of them to ask for consent for this one project but they didnt bother.

Hi OP, thanks for replying to my question. I can see why you're annoyed now, although furious seems a bit OTT, IMO.

It isn't a clearcut area. When dd took part in a workshop run by an external company on school premises, in school time, we had to sign a separate media consent form for her to be photographed and videoed with their logo etc. However when she went on a site visit to a local quarry we didn't, and although I wasn't entirely happy she was photographed next to their digger, it was at least taken by school staff and m as far as I am aware, only used in school displays and magazine.

Whoever organised the photos in this instance would have been wise to have ensured separate consent was sought, although chances are it was just down to whichever child was most convenient at the time. Presumably dc didn't mention anything on the day.

We don't know what the nature of the relationship is between the school and the business club.

The way it's been described my interpretation is that the relationship is simply that the business owners are all parents at the school - is that right OP? And if that's the case I wouldn't see that as an actual relationship.

To me that's like a group of school parents all doing an activity together and using school pupils to advertise that activity and imo the OP hasn't given consent for that.

What is the name of the business group, does it include the school name?

Gwen
Well tiu8hit tge nail on the head there.
Its the business club not the schools newsletter. Nothing at all to do with a ramdom 5yr old who attends the school.

No i am not op stop being silly.

Oops stupid phone touched post button
I dont know why you are having a hatd time reading ops posts stating clearly the difference between the school newsletter and the business clubs advertising 'letter' .

You should send the business an invoice for you child’s appearance fee - if they have used her then they should have to pay for the privilege.

If I wanted to be more specific about permission I wouldn't have signed such a broad consent form. Just withdraw your consent for the future and call it lesson learned.

I think the school is covered, this is a group for the parents of children at the school. I would call it a Parents Association, quite common. PAs produce magazines, promote each others businesses and benefit the school.

The school will get a kick back. Just because they dont have an obligation to donate money doesn't mean they dont, its probably an informal agreement. There is also the benefits of attracting more affluent parents into the school. And several other intangible 'benefits' in the community which the school serves.

A school is a community of families not just the buildings.

"some of which don't even support the school financially. "

OP, you have every right to feel this way. I also feel slightly outraged by this. What do they think you are, or your daughter is? It's free advertising and exploitative. You send your child to School to learn and you sent her there to learn that morning. Not to be a puppet/tool for moneymakers whilst she should be learning.

Let the companies pay for private child models, there are certainly no shortage of them.

Damage minimisation... Photo removed.

Compensation... The three companies pay your daughter or pay you and you can put it in an account for your daughter when she's older.

Why would a five year old be in a business club? Seems like a cover for free child actors or models.

I suppose the best move is don't consent to the School taking photos of your child. Why would you want to consent to that anyway? Anyone out there will know who she is, what her name is and what School she goes to. I wouldn't consent to anyone taking pictures and also wouldn't put the pictures online for various reasons.

I very much hope some kind of action is taken and you get a genuine "I'm sorry I did that" apology not an "I'm sorry you feel that way" type of apology.

By outside agency I thought they meant the local paper or even the local TV station reporting on or promoting the school
You can't assume anything. If they did not specify say what sort of outside agencies they meant, and did not specify that they had only school publicity purposes in mind, then they left it open to anyone they choose to use photos for any purpose.

If you, your child, your house is going to be used for advertising that's an entirely different ball game, usually with a load of terms and conditions and financial remuneration.
I don't think your assumption here is based on anything solid. Here is what the consent form said:
It also says that occasionally outside agencies may take pictures of the children and once those pictures are released the school has no jurisdiction about how they are used.

Not only may the outside agency take the photos themselves , but they may then be used for any purpose the agency wants to use them. I think they are very specifically asking your consent to allow third parties to both take photos and use in any way they like here, with no responsibility on the school's part for the way the photos are used.

This is quite unusual, and there are many very obvious worst case scenarios you can imagine one of which has already happened, but there are others that would be outrageously awful (who exactly might be taking the photos and what sort of photos might they be...).

I would withdraw permission immediately, and ask the school to clarify exactly what and who they had in mind, and also ask them to use very specific wording in any future consent forms so parents know the limits of both the photo taking and also the use of images.

You always have to look at wording and ask yourself how far someone might conceivably run with it - don't assume any other party would be sensible or responsible or would act as you would like them to.

Fwiw, I want to say again that I sympathise completely with you - I think what they have done is gobsmacking. I hope you will manage to get their consent form changed in a major way.

Julie8008 - I've only heard of a parents association used as an alternative to a PTA so there for fund raising for the school. Is there another type?

The way the business group has been described is that it gives no money to the school. I don't know how the OP knows this but imo that's an odd thing to say if you don't know it's correct.

SandyDenny, our local schools PA serves the whole community, we dont usually donate 'cash' to the school and have no obligation to do so. We fund raise for specific things, a lot of them but not all are for the school, some are for the community and families in the community.

We are very transparent about what we are fundraising for, accounts are audited etc. We use school pictures in our publications (teachers do check no one that hasn't given consent is in them) and we do advertise local businesses. eg last year we fund raised for an adults only dinner party, which went down very well.

Parents businesses often offer to donate time/services to the school or cash for putting adverts in but its never obligatory. We vet such ads on a case by case basis. It really does raise the profile of the school locally and appears to contribute to the pull of local families to go to it. No one has ever complained, and why would they?

Am I the only person never to have heard of such a club affiliated to a school?

Surely the parents may meet because of school, but the school shouldn't need to be associated with the club?

but the school shouldn't need to be associated with the club?
Your probably right, I would imagine it is for historical reasons.

Can you withdraw consent once you have given it? I gave similar consent for pictures in school etc but have recently had concerns about them being spread on social media and magazines and such.

You can always withdraw your consent, at any time.

I wouldn't be happy either OP.

I would speak to the head. Withdraw consent if that is something that could happen again.

Be clear about what you want to happen.

I wanted a picture removed from school Website. School didn't have consent. It was removed. You are in position it has been printed ..How do you want to move forward.?

thanks everyone.

sandydenny being part of the club "offers sponsorship opportunities", so i suspect some of the members do donate or donate in kind to the school, but there is no obligation, and as far as I can see no transparency. I think the long term plan is to

It's called "X school Business Club" -for the person who asked.

I guess I'm just sad that you can't give consent in good faith. And I'm also sad that when you stand up and make a fuss (justified or otherwise) at school you always end up being the freak/difficult parent/ogre. And possibly some of this is because I'm an older parent and probably not as media savvy/obsessed as some of the younger parents; as I said, we don't put our kids on fb or anywhere else.

Plan from here is to see the head, explain why I think what they've done isn't acceptable and insist (as I've already done by email) that they send a letter to the parents clarifying that the use of children in the advertising does not associate or endorse the children or their parents with the product. I'm also going to ask that they clarify the consent form. Again, don't want to be the difficult parent who doesn't ever want their child photographed, but if they can't guarantee that its for stuff directly relating to school (as in work/sport etc) then I will withdraw consent. I'm also going to ask that they don't put the magazine online, and that the businesses don't use the images on their websites......but I'm guessing I now have no say over that. I'll let you all know the outcome.

itsoutthere judging from all the other posts this isn’t a widespread thing......so it’s probably the same School and you’ll find out who I am!

Googling school business club brings up the first result which seems to fit what you've described, does the school begin with N?

No!

YANBU OP
You give you consent for your child to be included in school publicity (sports day pics, children in need, world book day pics in the local media).. not for her to be used to promote 'joe bloggs travel, Sam smiths bar service & Taunton Taxis'

I'd be very 🤔🤔🤔🤔 too. If the school had wanted to extend cover for this, they should have asked express & separate permission.