School tour aborted, kids now due back at 2:30am. Overreaction?

[Encolere]

My 16 year old is on a school trip. They left on Sunday and were due back tomorrow evening. They were having a great time. After dinner this evening they were told some (unnamed) kids were caught with illegal substances and they were all to pack up immediately to be shipped home. They are a 5 hour drive away and will now get in at 2:30 am. I, and most other parents, have to be up a few hours later for work.

AIBU to think this is an extreme reaction? It was a small number (I presume) of the 40 or so kids on the trip. There was no mention of any of the other students being in danger nor were the police involved as far as we know. If the schools previous MO for dealing with incidents like this are to go by, this will never be mentioned again and the kids involved will remain anonymous.

It is probably revelvant that this school group have been trouble from their first year in secondary. Despite the majority of the group being well behaved they are always (all) in trouble because of the actions of those few who are lacking in the cop on department.

I would imagine they aren’t at all confident that all the culprits have been identified, they may well “know” that kids other than those caught have also had drugs but are unable to prove it. They’re therefore unable to take the risk of some of the guilty kids (and the drugs) staying on the trip.

Possibly as PP have said they’ve been forced to leave their accommodation.

I’m not a teacher but I’ve taken groups of kids away. Any issues are exacerbated by being responsible for other people’s kids all weekend/week/whatever and being far from home and support such as headteacher in this case. Everyone is tired by this point and the teachers have probably had an incredibly stressful few days and this has tipped them over the edge.

Yes it’s shit for the innocent kids and their parents. It’s also really shit for the teachers on the trip.

I'm also going to book a hotel nearby and take DS overnight because that way everyone has a reasonable chance of getting some sleep

such a thoughtful thing to do, your DS is lucky to have someone like you.

I agree with those saying that they were probably asked to leave the accomodation. It's quite unlikely that only the best behaved students were allowed to go, schools usually struggle to fill spaces on residential trips due to cost and will let anyone go to fill the trip.

Yeah, tell him that disorganised, he's fuming because he thinks he's 'just the same as everyone else' (he soooo isn't). It's a very pretty part of the world, not too far from home, and I might nip across the border for a little shopping (assuming I can at that stage and it's not armed forces and checking the boot for things that need duty to be paid), so there are upsides.

well, he might not realise, but it's always heart warming when you see parents doing so much for their kids.

Enjoy your shopping

BlackAmericanoNoSugar*.

Such appreciation huh 🙄🤣.

How old is DS? Would the school be prepared to try one night?

The teachers are worried about students taking drugs, and potential overdoses or reactions.

Parent worries about missing some sleep.

Perspective?

BartonHollow you must be Irish too?

I remember my school trips, we all had 1/4 bottles of vodka and a bit of hash.

We were never caught.

Haha to perspective. Well I am getting it here and grateful for it too. It's been a very reasonable AIBU so far.

It has helped me to realise that my main quibble with the school is that the troublemakers are always king. Their form has been that this incident will never be mentioned again to protect the reputation of the little shits who got caught and they will become heroes amongst their peers.

The quiet kids who do their best are totally forgotten. I suppose I would like to see that any commentary on this incident would focus on the fact that 90+% of the group were as good as could be. Consequences for bad behaviour seem to be unfashionable here. Which is frustrating for those who tow the line.

@Hollyhobbi

I'm a dual citizen of the UK and the ROI and have been since before the mad rush

I wouldn’t necessarily think that @enclore.

I was a teacher that took students on a trip abroad and an incident occurred whilst there (I won’t specify what as it’s outing but it was very serious and mortifying for the those affected). As a result of this incident the culprits were then permanently excluded.

Surely the school is to blame here?
We sign forms saying that if our child breaks rules then we are responsible for removing them from the trip!
Why should all the other kids miss out because some of them are dicks?

So BartonHollow you were reared in Ireland and went to the UK for work? Or you have an Irish granny?!!

Former teacher here. It must have been pretty bad to warrant everyone coming home early and most likely is either because the venue has chucked them out or because there wouldn't be the correct staff to student ratio if some came home while some were left behind (also what do they do about transport in that scenario?) The only time I've heard of this happening was a Sixth Form trip abroad during which a girl was allegedly raped on an evening out and was in bits. I say allegedly as she admitted on the way home that she'd had a ONS and made the story up terrified her very religious parents would somehow find out. The teacher who led the trip was traumatised and refused to go on another residential for decades.

I know as a parent it's rubbish but not an overreaction by the school.

Encolere did they have to hire another bus to bring them back? Hope the troublemakers are made to pay for it if that's the case. Maybe hitting them in the pocket might be a good punishment? Although if they are buying drugs they probably aren't poor.

It's a funny old familiar scenario to me. Our daughter went on a choir tour in Eastern Europe. Everything went tits up. The place they were staying in booted them out. All the girls were dead posh and did nothing wrong. We are not dead posh, but my dh booked a flight out and fetched her home. All was well. Brexit is not going to help.

I think you make a very valid point and it would be a good idea to relay that to the school. While you understand and support the school staff with their difficulties in dealing with these troublesome kids, it's been very unfair on the well-behaved children who have once again been punished when they have done nothing wrong. See what they have to say about it.

I seriously question why any teacher would volunteer to go on a trip. It’s not just the risks, it’s the lack of appreciation from parents.

FGS its not a punishment. Its standard risk management. There is no way of knowing if everything was found and so steps taken to demonstrate that strongbaction was taken would be to avoid another night where there is potential for serious illness, fatality and legal action. Thebschool has shown that they have planned and were able to make decisions effectively. Some private schools would have hushed it up. Good for them! The message to all is clear.

The problem is that while the teachers may 'know' which students were involved to take action against this group and not the whole class will need proof. This results in accusations of being singled out, complaints that people/luggage/rooms were searched.

What happens if the staff have got it wrong and it's not (or not just) the usual group. It wouldn't be the first time that the 'good' kids decide on a bit of experimentation while away from home and the watchful eye of their parents.

There's a good chance the venue/accommodation has asked them to leave. It's a nightmare for the teachers I imagine. If they've found drugs then it will take a bit of investigation work to figure out exactly who was involved. I can see why they can't very well just toddle off to bed for the night knowing that there are drugs amongst the group. Drugs can kill, especially amongst inexperienced teens. It's a shame

What are the laws on drug possession in the country they're in?

What is their accommoadation's policy?

Can the teachers be certain they know who owns the drugs? Were they actually caught red-handed?

I think, given the alternative might be a police investigation in the host country, involving everyone in the group and quite probably detaining them there for extra days, at great expense all round, you've got off lightly and should be really grateful that the teachers were able to choose to leave.

The school is spot on.

I assume (perhaps wrongly) that as the trip was a 5-hour drive away that it was in the UK.