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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Child lost school item, school blaming me...?

190 replies

maiafawnly · 13/09/2022 17:12

Before the summer holiday, my 14 year old participated in an event for a competition where a group of student designed balloons which were sent into "space". On the balloons were recording devices logging the altitude the balloon reached and views from their balloon. The data was recorded onto a micro SD card. The data was to be analysed at the start of this term to then be submitted to the hosts of the competition.

The SD card was given to my 14 year old last day of term, and hes lost it. Micro sd cards are so small that finding it is a nigh on impossible task, and we've looked everywhere but cannot find it.

Obviously this is my childs fault, hes misplaced it, but school have called, 3 separate teachers infact have called, asking me what i intend to do about it...? What can i do? I didn't know he was being given the SD card or asked to bare any responsibility of keeping it safe for 7 weeks! And even if i had been asked, theres nothing i can do now its lost, i cant magically recreate data and images of the balloon. And tbh i think the school/teachers involved in the competition have been a bit irresponsible handing a micro sd card of data to a kid if thats the only place its stored and irretrievable if lost.

Aibu to simply ignore any further communication regarding this and have absolutely no consequences for my child at home? I dont think this is a punishable offence, my child made an accidental mistake over misplacing something he should never have been solely responsible for if it was that important?

OP posts:
Quincythequince · 13/09/2022 17:13

YANBU.
Why didn’t a teacher take it if it was so important?

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 13/09/2022 17:14

Tell them you’re going to give them some advice:

Do not give tiny, precious items to children. Also, don’t attach things to balloons.

AlmostOver22 · 13/09/2022 17:14

Definitely YANBU! What an oversight on the part of the school and crazy to then try and blame you. I’m guessing someone is very stressed

Coffeaddict · 13/09/2022 17:15

Yeah that's stupid. I work in higher education and constantly remind my students to back up data /assignment. Storing information on a single losable device is a recpie for disaster.

Tumbleweed101 · 13/09/2022 17:15

A 14yo should be responsible to keep something important safe, however the school are being unreasonable to give sole charge of Something important to a child.

nlr1 · 13/09/2022 17:16

If the work was done at school is it not saved on the school system?

ImAvingOops · 13/09/2022 17:17

Yanbu. Three teachers have called? That's bordering on harassment! Not only would I not be doing anything about this at home, I'd not allow school to impose any consequences either. They are absolutely batshit - kids lose stuff, especially tiny little things.
A sternly worded letter to the head might be in order.

CastleCrasher · 13/09/2022 17:18

I try to see the schools side as much as possible but on this one I think I'd be pointing out that they made no agreement with me to take responsibility for the card, that the data should have been backed up, and that this is a failure of planning on their part.

When dc bring items in to school and they are misplaced, schools quite rightly tell us that these things happen and they accept no responsibility. Sauce for the goose....

Hellocatshome · 13/09/2022 17:18

I would respond to the email by saying that you do not intend to do anything about it as there is nothing that you can do about it, then ignore any further correspondence from them.

Original poster
maiafawnly · 13/09/2022 17:18

nlr1 · 13/09/2022 17:16

If the work was done at school is it not saved on the school system?

From what i can gather the camera and altitude were saved directly on to the sd card on the balloon and then that was given to my son after they retrieved the balloon from where it landed. It was never taken to the school and backed up, nor was there cloud saving from the camera. He was given the only save files on the sd card.

OP posts:
Mamma7576 · 13/09/2022 17:18

I have to roll my eyes at the teachers. For something so important, why on earth didn't they take it and back it up, like most people would.

FlissyPaps · 13/09/2022 17:19

What are they implying you do OP? Pay for a replacement? Because if so, you should have been made aware at any potential replacement costs and signed a consent form.

Kids lose things. Heck even adults lose things, it was pretty daft of the school to allow pupils to take these items off school grounds so YANBU.

MrsToothyBitch · 13/09/2022 17:19

YANBU- at 14 your child is old enough to have been solely responsible for the item (i.e, it was given to your DC directly, not to you as would've been the case when they were younger) so it's not your problem. Also, not backing up work/having a master copy before handing over a tiny, easy to lose device is particularly foolish.

Antarcticant · 13/09/2022 17:20

Tell them you have destroyed the SD card as a protest against the negative environmental impact of balloon releases.

PeekAtYou · 13/09/2022 17:21

Do they want you to buy a new SD card? (You obviously can't buy the data)
i'd be telling my son never to accept responsibility for school equipment and that ypj can't find it but will pay for a new sd card.

Original poster
maiafawnly · 13/09/2022 17:22

Antarcticant · 13/09/2022 17:20

Tell them you have destroyed the SD card as a protest against the negative environmental impact of balloon releases.

😅😅😅

Though in their defence they tracked and retrieved the balloon when they launched it. The competition was to see whos got the the highest altitude. It wasnt just a helium balloon they released and left

OP posts:
Antarcticant · 13/09/2022 17:24

maiafawnly · 13/09/2022 17:22

😅😅😅

Though in their defence they tracked and retrieved the balloon when they launched it. The competition was to see whos got the the highest altitude. It wasnt just a helium balloon they released and left

Show quote history

Ah, OK, I'll let them off then 😃

Day20 · 13/09/2022 17:26

Tell them you can't be responsible for tour Son when you didn't know about it.

Schools have a cheek my son has cone home plenty of times lost coats and jumpers.... that's what they have told me they can't be responsible he's 7!

SirChenjins · 13/09/2022 17:27

This is ridiculous - if they didn't want the SD card to get lost then they should have taken it from the children and placed them under lock and key.

Have you turned it around and asked them what they would like you to do about it, given that the data is irretrievable? Do they want you to replace the card - or something else (although god know what, short of sending your child up into space attached to one)

Threelittlelambs · 13/09/2022 17:30

Has he checked his phone cover?

What are they implying you do OP? Pay for a replacement? Because if so, you should have been made aware at any potential replacement costs and signed a consent form. What a shitty attitude.

Blomonge · 13/09/2022 17:30

Ask what they expect you to do? You can’t provide the SD card or the data, it’s lost. And you certainly won’t be paying for a replacement since you didn’t agree to take custody of the card or even know your child had it. Basically you can do nothing, and that’s exactly what you should do!

Petrarkanian · 13/09/2022 17:32

In my opinion they are trying to cover their arses. They have lost the sd card by giving it to a student, they know this. I'd email the head and let them know what's going on.

Original poster
maiafawnly · 13/09/2022 17:36

Thanks for the replies!

Two teachers (i believe one IT and one Tech) called me around lunch, i think this was maybe a miscommunication over which was calling me, these teachers supervised the event when they launched. Then after school a third teacher who i believe organised the event in general called.

I said id help him look again to see if it can be found, but if it has been knocked on the floor off his desk, itll be long gone as they are so small itll be up a vacuum 7 weeks later! Beyond that im stumped. Im not paying for replacement SDs as i never agreed to it, and tbf replacing them doesnt solve the problem anyway! I firmly believe the majority of fault here is with the teacher who gave them to my son before saving the data himself. Yes my son is also at fault, but not as much as the teacher. Imo.

OP posts:
PurpleWisteria · 13/09/2022 17:39

At 14 both my DSs could have been trusted with the card. They would have taken good care of it.

Your son didn't. The least you can do is buy replacements for those lost caused by his lack of care.

FlissyPaps · 13/09/2022 17:39

Threelittlelambs · 13/09/2022 17:30

Has he checked his phone cover?

What are they implying you do OP? Pay for a replacement? Because if so, you should have been made aware at any potential replacement costs and signed a consent form. What a shitty attitude.

Elaborate….