Schoolgirls spiked my daughter’s drink with laxatives.

[Halfordscarpark]

This is more of a WWYD I guess.

My daughter has been bullied recently at school, some physical, some verbal and this week the bullies poured laxatives into her water bottle at lunchtime and I had to leave work to collect her.

I’ve not heard anything more from the school or the parents and the children are still in school.

I’m interested to hear what you think and what you would do in this situation as this is not acceptable.

And your DD needs to know you will move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

I would ring the police honestly. This is really extreme, criminal behaviour.

As my son's class teacher told me, when telling me about the catering staff giving my year R son the food he was severely allergic to (thankfully he didn't touch it)- sometimes the absolute right thing to do is to cause a scene.

You aren't just doing your daughter a favour if you make a lot of noise about this, you are also ensuring these girls learn the lesson before they get in worse trouble, and you are helping the school realise their processes aren't up to scratch

OK now I've seen the OP's updates about how the DD was forced to drink from the bottle and that the children were found with the packets in their possession, I think it's time to go to the police, and the school governors, the academy trust or whatever. The school hasn't acted quickly enough and what happened is very serious indeed. At 13 I think it's fine to get to police involved. They are old enough to know better.

I'm a very experienced teacher and I often roll my eyes at the more extreme 'POLICE. NOW' type responses on MN but in this case I think they are entirely justified. The school's lack of response is shocking. This is a police matter, and I would also lodge a formal grievance with the governing body.

for you and your DD.

I don’t want to cause a scene but at the same time I can’t afford to let these kids get away with such harmful behaviour.

OP please let go of this mindset, you’re doing your daughter a massive injustice. School have had their time, go to the police. Scream and shout from the rooftops to anyone who will hear you. Your daughter isn’t just being bullied she has been poisoned. Cause the biggest scene you can, if you don’t she will hold on to how you handled this forever.

I’m not an all guns blazing type person by any means, but this is exactly the type of situation that actually demands causing a scene for many reasons.

• It’s extremely dangerous what these girls did - they literally drugged your Dd.
• The bullies need a big old fright and telling off to hopefully let them learn their lesson. If not, at least it will be on record for any other disgusting behaviour they show.
• The lack of action from the school is appalling.
• Your Dd needs to know you have her back and will move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

This really does warrant going to the police.

I am so utterly sorry to hear this @Halfordscarpark (I have an almost 13 year old). This is barbaric. I would go to the police on this I'm afraid. I am so sorry that the school are being so crappy. Your poor DD. Can you move schools? I woudl kick up a fuss regardless, they sound appalling (girls and school).

Good point re school governors too. I am that Mum and this is the time you need to make it very clear how unacceptable and dangerous what happened was. Sending you strength to kick some ass!

Bullies escalate. Their behaviour needs to be crushed.

I’m a police officer OP and if it was my child I would be reporting to the police. ( and I certainly wouldn’t for lots of things). No disrespect to any teachers but there isn’t a school anywhere equipped to handle what is quite clearly a criminal offence. As an aside I would have been down there faster than that on the day that it happened speaking to the head teacher. ( probably not that politely). If they found the sachets then they can provide a statement to that effect and that will be great evidence. Don’t let them handle it any further because they will fuck up the evidence…. They’re going to be in damage limitation mode. Good luck… I hope your daughter is ok.

GOV.UK
Spiking is a crime. The law states that:

• it is a crime to maliciously administer, cause to administer or cause to be taken by any other person any poison or destructive or noxious thing, such as to endanger their life, cause them grievous bodily harm, or intentionally injure, aggrieve, or annoy them

1. Get in touch with Police, this is assault.
2. Find your daughter a new school for September.

The more I think about this the more I think laxatives this time, we got away with it. Next time it could be any tablets they found at home, what a laugh (not) to make someone drink those and see what happens.

I feel so sorry for your DD, she must’ve been really scared if she felt there wasn’t another option but to drink the water ☹️. The bullies bringing the packets into school shows intent, what horrible kids. As others have said, I would report to the police and complain about the school’s lack of answers and action. It’s such a dangerous thing to do with any kind of medication

This is awful.

I’m an ex secondary teacher. A strong SLT would be dealing with this swiftly in school and encourging you to go the police. Sounds like school isn’t dealing with it so you need to go the police.

Your daughter needs a model of how to act and fight her own corner. In so many of these situations it's easier to go along with what the majority wants us to do, let it go, not name a fuss. Now and again we have have to go against the status quo and this is that time.
You are giving her a tool to call on in the future, should she have to.

If you let the watery response from the school go, you're giving her the opposite lesson in life. Lie down and take it. Don't make a fuss.

You don't want to make a fuss?
YABU to not be making a fuss or looking to change schools. This is not ok to happen.
I'm rubbish in conflict but you must both stand up to this.

Your poor dd I hope she's OK. That's such a level of viciousness from those girls and it seems like the bullying is escalating.
I would absolutely report it to the police and demand a meeting with the other girls parents. To be honest I sort of admire your calm approach, I would have gone feral if this happened to my child! Don't let the school fob you off they should have suspended those kids immediately

I’m sorry to be so blunt OP, but to not ‘cause a scene’ in circumstances such as this would be a MASSIVE act of neglect towards your poor DD.

I only have a one year old so difficult to say exactly what I'd do, but I believe I'd be contacting the police, and going down the school to demand the kids dealt with appropriately for drugging my kid. I wouldn't leave without a firm response saying exactly how they're going to handle it, and I'd let them know I'd contacted police. I'd also let my kid have a few days off and be letting them know to not be scared to retaliate physically if they are scared or threatened - maybe unpopular opinion but some people need teaching a real lesson of consequences. I'd make sure my daughter knew how disgusting it is they did that, and to not take things like that lightly, and modelling that by not taking it lightly myself.

You don’t need to ‘make a scene’, @Halfordscarpark - but you do need to take firm and serious action.

As other people have said, the effects on your dd could have been life threatening, and they were very unpleasant, I’m sure, even though they didn’t make her seriously ill. The school know the bullies have confessed and were found with the evidence in them, and not only did they spike the drink, they forced your dd to drink it.

In these circumstances I think the only reasonable action is to contact the police and report this as an assault. I hope the police would take this very seriously - and telling the school what you’ve done might put a rocket up them too, and change their lackadaisical attitude!

They are passed the age of criminal responsibility. You need to ring the police.

That's right OP. You absolutely DO need to make a scene. You need to shout out loudly to this from the rooftops because unless you do, most schools these days it seems, just brush it under the carpet.

It’s not making a fuss.

The girl who killed Brianna Ghey has been moved schools for poisoning and trying to poison other children, in that case with cannabis gummies, but this is very serious

You've not seen the post where the OP explains that her daughter was forced to drink the laxative mixture.