This punishment is overly harsh

[Whatafustercluck]

Pupil 1 took some test tubes from the science department.

Pupil 2 smashed the test tubes (deliberately) on the floor.

Pupil 3 retrieved a piece of glass from the floor and threw it back down.

Witnessed by a member of staff and a member of the public. School investigations appear to confirm varying levels of involvement/ culpability among the three pupils.

All three have an hour after school detention. All three will be on report, having had 3 behaviour points added to their records. Science teacher freely admits that pupil 3 was not directly involved in taking the test tubes and that there were 'varying roles and levels' of involvement in the incident.

Pupil 3 is my son. I've said he will need to do the punishment, and there would be no case to answer if he had just not got involved at all, no room for misunderstandings etc. We've spoken before about being guilty by association and making better choices. I don't intend to appeal it, firstly because I don't believe it would change anything and secondly because I take the view that I shouldn't undermine a teacher.

But there is a large part of me that believes that differing levels of culpability require differing levels of punishment.

AIBU?

Thanks everyone. Accepted that on the whole most believe the punishment for ds is right, and that's all I should focus on, whatever involvement others had.

I've emailed the science teacher to say I support his decision and have spoken to ds about many of the points raised here. So hopefully no need for any teacher resignations @viques I'm actually quite a reasonable parent, despite raising a vandal.

Everything is so black and white on MN. Supporting the school doesn’t mean never querying anything or trying to understand their position. It can also be done in a polite, non-entitled way.

To be honest all three of them sound stupid and immature and should be punished. Instead of minimising his stupidity, advise him to start using his apparently clever brain.

He's 13 so yeah, he is immature.

The OP has updated the thread and is perfectly reasonable and sensible. Good effort mum!
@Wooloohooloo more effort required - marking your homework, I'd say read the whole thread and you lose points for sarcasm in debate! LOL

I think the punishment is pathetic. An hour’s detention? That’s hardly anything, and no one gives two hoots about the rest, surely?

It will do none of the three of them any harm.

Hopefully they learn from it.

I don’t think the punishment for pupil three is too harsh, but I believe the punishment for pupil 1 and 2 is too lenient.

I disagree that the punishment is too harsh.

I agree that the level of offense that pupil 3 did was less than pupil 1 but it's alsp clear that pupil 3 had a far greater capacity to do better than this. When someone who is basically a good kid does something like this it is quite right and proper to come down on them like a tonne of bricks and nake quite certain they know that egging-on/sucking-up to trouble makers is absolutely a no-go. Pupil 3 has fallen further and has less grounds for leniency than a troublemaker kids who is always getting into trouble but perhaps has a less stable/supportive home environment and perhaps their acting out is an expression of turmoil that needs support as much as punishment so giving the kids all the same punishment seems right to me.

"He's a good kid"
"Silly" but only because of other, bad boys
On track for good grades so must be lovely

Excellent minimising.

'I don't intend to appeal it'. Lol!

I think they all got off lightly and the school have been more than fair. The school decides- it's an internal matter. Don't excuse your child by lessening his poor choices. He was part of it. He could have made numerous different choices. For whatever reason, he chose to remain and take part.

No. There shouldn’t be differing consequences

all 3 are involved. All 3 need consequences for it

whether it’s a small part of it or large.

all the same.

I think an hours detention after school is quite lenient if anything.

In the science department I’m currently in your son would probably get a 2 week science practical ban so any lessons with practical equipment they’d be parked with another teacher. Student 1 would have a lab ban and be in reflection for every science lesson for 2 weeks and then subsequently have to have an additional risk assessment with regards to practical work due to the propensity to theft and vandalism. In another school I worked in the cost of breakages + p&p, regardless of accident, carelessness or vandalism was charged to the parents via parent pay and the money removed from the lunch account money.

Don't get me started on unfair punishments. At school a boy pushed me through a window... the head made me pay for it :-(

It might actually help him to keep away from them in future, if he feels it’s unjust that he has been punished equally. The sting of the realisation that he will be tarred with the same brush might stay with him longer than if he had been handed a lighter consequence. That would probably only serve to teach him that he’s okay as long as he stays on the outskirts of the trouble.

Thank you for supporting the school. I think you are getting a hard time here from some. He’s thirteen. He was daft. If he learns from it then it’s all good. If he picks better mates as a consequence, and learns that his parent and his school are together in trying to raise him, then even better.

She has still minimised. What relevance are his grades? Lower achieving kids aren't necessarily more naughty. And all 13 year olds have a level of immaturity of course they do but they don't all do stupid stuff like that, hence the punishment.

And I have a teenage son who has also done stupid things who was apparently bright but I always agreed he deserved the punishments.

Pupil 1's mother is apparently going into school to argue against the punishment.

Hopefully the school will assure this mummsy that in future when her sprog steals they'll let the police deal with it.

Potentially Pupil 3 did the most dangerous thing, the other idiots didn't risk injury to others by their actions, throwing broken glass endangers those around.

Oh my goodness. I hope you are ok and no longer work at the school.