Vaping at work

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

Not quite a AIBU, but I’m in a really difficult situation at work. I just started a new job back in October at a secondary school(I’m a teacher). It’s a nice department and I feel like I’ve settled in well. One of the other teachers who I get on well with has vaped in my classroom on an occasion. This was when there was also another member of staff in my classroom. Considering I’m new and don’t like to get involved in any work place conflict, I didn’t say anything to anyone but did advise her not to and recommended that she perhaps go outside of the school building.

However, today my line manager has told me that other members of staff have told her that this teacher has vaped in my classroom and that i now need to write up a statement confirming that she has vaped. I had no choice but to write a short statement. I also got told that she already had a verbal warning about vaping on the school premises before I had started.

She is a lovely person and very helpful…shares her resources etc. Should I talk to her and tell her about the situation and that she could perhaps get a written warning about this? And maybe let her know that I had to write a statement, or should I leave it? I’ve never been in any sort of situation like this before. I don’t want my line manager being annoyed with me either as I’ve just started here.

Thank you xxx

I still don't get why on earth she thinks what she's doing is acceptable. How old is she?

Wow. No, you absolutely shouldn't have told her. The first response is like it's been written by AI!

Next time your line manager tells you anything about another member of staff, keep it to yourself.

And join a union if you haven't done so already - I'm guessing you might find them better to talk to if you have any future queries of this sort.

This reads like an episode of Waterloo Road, frankly. The sort of thing scriptwriters believe might actually happen in a school, but really doesn't.

In 30 years of teaching I've never come across a situation like this - or a teacher who wouldn't know how unacceptable it was. Nor one who wouldn't know how to respond to someone vaping in their room.

She’s over 40! The situation has caused me such bad anxiety that I don’t even want to go into work. Before the Xmas holidays she came into my room to vape and closed the door and locked it from inside (we have lock that you can turn in each classroom), and it was just a coincidence that our line manager tried to come in and the room was locked. My manager did talk to me about this and I told her that it wasn’t me that locked the door. Since that day manager has been out to her and find evidence of her vaping

She's a grown up who knew the rules and ignored them anyway. She was an idiot to do it.

You're winding yourself up, just let her resign and be done with it.

Well this has actually happened, hence why I’m seeking advice as I’m so stressed out about it! I have been teaching for 15 years and have never come across anything like this before! The reason why o didn’t know how to deal with it was because I had just started at the school. I thought I’d let it go, but didn’t realise the other staff member in the class that is actually this this teachers good friend outside of school, was the one who had written the statement about it!

@Hatty65 I agree.

@Supermummy88 you are stuck now and I would give them all a wide birth.
You must have known she shouldn't be vaping so I would make sure she doesn't do it again (she would be an idiot if she did that now) if need be leave the room if she comes in.
I would also give your boss/ who asked you a wide birth too for putting you in that position.
If either asks anything again refer them to each other.
And stay out of school politics!

I am not one to get involved in any type of politics. I’m a very reserved person so I think because I was new she tried her luck, but someone complained and I was pulled up on it!

Try not to get stressed, she knows to follow the rules and she still behaved like a ass.

She could easily complied but she made choices not too her situation is all her own doing.

@Supermummy88 you weren't pulled up on it. You were asked. You made a decision about what you would say. You could have shrugged your shoulders and get on with your day.
I would suggest her card is probably marked though.
I just wouldn't have told her. There's your error.

No I wasn’t asked ‘if’ she was vaping. I was told that I was present whilst she was vaping in my room and that another staff member was there…I couldn’t just shrug my shoulders! I had to admit it, otherwise it would have been my word against the other staff member

@Supermummy88 I do agree with @Tattletwat but I Don't know why you would then tell her? What do you think would happen?

Listen sorry I am not getting at you.
Both have lied now though and it's put you in a difficult position.
I would just keep your head down.
I know school can be tough.

You only just met this person, she was warned about her behaviour, she decided to do it again and pulled you into the situation too. Why are you worrying about her, set your professional standards a bit higher and learn and move on.

You've done nothing wrong. She fucked up, repeatedly, knowing it wasn’t ok. She deserves to be reprimanded and if she can’t handle that she can resign.

Stay neutral and professional. You’ve got nothing to feel bad about.

Yes you’re absolutely right @Doingmybest12 I’m just going to keep my head down. The way she went straight to our line manager saying she was being targeted and that there’s no trust within staff members and that she’s resigning . I got told that she’s threatened to resign many times in the past and that this is an ongoing issue since last year

But I just feel like I shouldn’t have told her I was approached by line manager. But I told her because I was paranoid she would come into my classroom and vape again. I thought if I told her that people have complained she would be a lot more careful and go out of the school building to do so. I did it out of good intentions, but seemed to backfire on me

Your school sounds wildly unprofessional, frankly.

@MrsHamlet yes I’ve never experienced anything like it in my 15 years of teaching! I very rarely post of here, but felt the need to as I needed some advise about this situation. There is such a shortage of teachers that they are holding onto anyone at the moment regardless of their behaviour.

I'm in hr and see depressingly often that when people are cornered, they quickly start chucking other people under buses.

Always stay factual, professional and keep your distance. It's horrible being dragged into a mess not of your making. I do sympathise.

I hate this she is being targeted no you ain't it's because you keep breaking rules.

All this her fault she needs to stop being victim.

I suppose it's her last line of defence!

Yes this is the thing….it looks like I covered for her because I never reported it, but other staff member did! So this teacher put me in a situation where my line manager has had to talk to me about it and say I know she’s been vaping in your room, can you please write this up in a statement. Horrible situation to be in

She knows the rules.
Vaping in schools and other workplaces is a total no