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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Could my parents have sued my primary school for outing disabilities?

124 replies

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:22

Edit: I do not plan on suing them lol! I am just curious if this was normal.

Somewhat lighthearted. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was about 3. I was on and off medication but I never had a fit at school. When I went to primary school, I was clearly the only one who had epilepsy as my photo was stuck up in the staffroom (with my name written below it in capital letters) and a photo of me on a lanyard hanging up in the classroom along with a boy in the class below who was known to have loads of allergies. I didn’t know this was going to be a thing.

kids were very occasionally in the staffroom (we made pancakes there once) and obviously when we were in people did ask me but I played dumb. The boy who had allergies didn’t have his photo up there afai recall.

The school cook also told her daughter ( who was in my class) I was epileptic as she naturally asked why my photo was on the lanyard in class and the daughter told several people I had epilepsy/epileptic fits (not in front of me). My friend was one of these people and she asked if it was true but I was embarassed so I said no.

i also remember a younger boy about 4 years below me was diagnosed with autism and the teachers came round the classes telling us to mind ourselves around him because he’s autistic. And explained what that meant. They never did this about my epilepsy (to my knowledge) or the boy with allergies.

not sure I found out how the boy had allergies presumably someone in my class told me but unsure if they found out or asked about his photo too.

as a 30 year old I am no longer ashamed of my epilepsy (and was later diagnosed w autism) but it seems very odd looking back.

this was from about 1999-2006. I didn’t go to a special needs school. My parents never said anything to the school but im not sure they knew till I told them after I left.

OP posts:
PurpleChrayn · 24/06/2025 17:23

You want to sue your old school for having a photograph of you in the staff room a quarter of a century ago? Honestly?

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:24

PurpleChrayn · 24/06/2025 17:23

You want to sue your old school for having a photograph of you in the staff room a quarter of a century ago? Honestly?

No. It’s light hearted purple. I just wondered if it was the done thing.

OP posts:
lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:25

I have edited so people know I don’t plan to do anything lol!

OP posts:
FedUpandEatingChocolate · 24/06/2025 17:26

Seriously?! You had a potentially life threatening condition that all the adults in school needed to be aware of, and you're upset your photo was up in a staff setting?

maslinpan · 24/06/2025 17:27

Obviously it would have been so much better if none of the staff knew about that piece of relevant medical information.

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 24/06/2025 17:27

Ffs…. It’s not light hearted so don’t hide behind that bs

and no - the school was following a duty of care by ensuring staff and visitors know how to help you

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:28

FedUpandEatingChocolate · 24/06/2025 17:26

Seriously?! You had a potentially life threatening condition that all the adults in school needed to be aware of, and you're upset your photo was up in a staff setting?

It was also up in the classrooms, and a pupil was told. Have you read the full post?

I am not here for an argument I just wondered from other parents and or teachers if it was normal to do this in classrooms.

edit: ok that’s all I wanted to know

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 24/06/2025 17:28

No, they couldn’t have sued at the time - it was considered good practice. Over the years I’ve seen some bonkers shit in schools, always inline with what is good practice at the time but is very out of five years later.

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:29

maslinpan · 24/06/2025 17:27

Obviously it would have been so much better if none of the staff knew about that piece of relevant medical information.

Was it alright that pupils knew?

OP posts:
lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:29

LynetteScavo · 24/06/2025 17:28

No, they couldn’t have sued at the time - it was considered good practice. Over the years I’ve seen some bonkers shit in schools, always inline with what is good practice at the time but is very out of five years later.

That’s fair. I thought maybe telling her daughter would be a sackable offence

OP posts:
lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:30

Ditto going round telling pupils about the boy.

teachers should know, but I didn’t think pupils should

OP posts:
lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:31

FedUpandEatingChocolate · 24/06/2025 17:26

Seriously?! You had a potentially life threatening condition that all the adults in school needed to be aware of, and you're upset your photo was up in a staff setting?

This post is more about the second points about the kids being told

OP posts:
Needspaceforlego · 24/06/2025 17:31

Ok i don't remember ever being in a school staff room either in primary or secondary.

But I can totally see why it makes sense for the teachers to know and have your photo up there. Because it's important all staff know who has serious conditions as any member of staff could be the one who spots you in the playground or at an assembly

Hanovercrosse · 24/06/2025 17:31

All of this info is online now but wouldn’t have been in 1999. I was teaching then, I didn’t even have an email, everything was on paper. It might seem clumsy now but they were safeguarding you

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:32

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 24/06/2025 17:27

Ffs…. It’s not light hearted so don’t hide behind that bs

and no - the school was following a duty of care by ensuring staff and visitors know how to help you

Interesting. I didn’t think the cook telling her daughter was acceptable really. I always thought Teachers were meant to know privately about medical stuff. If I am wrong I hold my hands up.

OP posts:
NamelessNancy · 24/06/2025 17:32

You would want someone to have lost their job?

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:32

Needspaceforlego · 24/06/2025 17:31

Ok i don't remember ever being in a school staff room either in primary or secondary.

But I can totally see why it makes sense for the teachers to know and have your photo up there. Because it's important all staff know who has serious conditions as any member of staff could be the one who spots you in the playground or at an assembly

I see, do you think it was ok that the kids knew?

OP posts:
MoistVonL · 24/06/2025 17:32

Why were you ashamed of being epileptic? My brother was, and people (including friends in school) knew so they could take action to keep him safe when he has a seizure.

Or more accurately, to stop them doing something well-meaning that could ha him.

Gall10 · 24/06/2025 17:33

Please don’t waste peoples time having to read this…some people have real problems they need help with.

AppropriateAdult · 24/06/2025 17:33

I think nowadays this would be seen as a significant breach of confidentiality, but back then it wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows. Attitudes to that kind of thing have changed a lot over the last 30 years.

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:33

NamelessNancy · 24/06/2025 17:32

You would want someone to have lost their job?

Honestly, if she told her daughter who told all the kids I knew, without my consent, I would want there to be consequences. It was for the staff to know and keep private IMO. Medical stuff should be confidential for staff.

OP posts:
Needspaceforlego · 24/06/2025 17:33

Although I don't think other children should be told.
That said I think all children should have a bit of age appropriate first aid knowledge what to do, if someone gets hurt, can't breath etc even if its go get an adult

lilacbreeze · 24/06/2025 17:33

Gall10 · 24/06/2025 17:33

Please don’t waste peoples time having to read this…some people have real problems they need help with.

Nobody has to answer the thread.

OP posts:
Kirbert2 · 24/06/2025 17:33

I imagine it was just the done thing back then.

My son suddenly became disabled after an illness last year and I was always asked by school if they could share things even with other staff members.

My son is also very open about everything that happened, if you're around him for 0.5 seconds and haven't met him before, he'll tell you all about it and show off his scars from his surgeries too. So everyone at his school knows probably far more than what they could ever want to know. 😂

Hanovercrosse · 24/06/2025 17:33

And if you’d had a seizure in class or assembly? Everyone would obviously know, would you have preferred that. I’ve seen it happen