Given detention for lateness on tube strike day

[Longingdreamer]

My child was given a detention today, despite there being a tube strike in London, which has caused travel chaos. They early but were apparently still late: roads are almost at a standstill it seems.

They get very upset by detentions, due to underlying neuro diversity.

Aibu to think that the school shouldn't give these on a strike day for minor lateness?

They usually give them, even if a child is only 1 minute late, but it seems wicked when it is out of their control.

The school probably made a decision at the start of the week to decide how best to manage the situation.

If they decided that they would not give detentions for late comers, they have to weigh that up with what they think will happen. They may have decided that some pupils would have taken advantage of the strike and the school would have lost learning time for those students. And it’s the school and the teachers who are held responsible for both that and for attendance.

They definitely can’t have a system where good boys don’t get detention if they are late and naughty boys do. Or one where staff are choosing who gets detention and who doesn’t.

School is practice for work

Hence why I'm wfh

Imagine if surgeons just rolled in late because of a tube strike.

The surgeons I know drive.

Due to a painful knee (this is long term and has been investigated). I wouldn't classify this as a disability necessarily.

Medical staff do run late by the way

My husband was a teacher. He has been late for work occasionally due to travel issues. No action was ever taken.

Roads were awful yesterday in north London. Gridlocked. Buses were stuck. Everyone was late
Seems bit ridiculous to give detentions for this.

Secondary school?

I guarantee many of those saying you were unreasonable have not been trying to navigate central London during the strike.

Of course they haven't

Thank you Basin! There is no evidence that all the teachers made it in on time.

A London school
there will be hundreds of pupils

If the DS was late and given detention, loads will have done too.

I wonder how late he was. And what is his behaviour is like generally at the school.

As with most things, the devil is in the details.

out of interest, secondary?

I also think it's unfair (unless the child can walk and lives close enough).

A lot of work places would be understanding if employees turned up late in these circumstances. Even hospitals. Because if doctors can't get there, it's likely patients can't get there either so it will be quieter

Yes, secondary school. Rule is detention even if 1 minute late, on one occasion. Behaviour generally good, and doing very well academically.

Ok, but be wary that if he knows you are fighting this for him you are inadvertently "bigging up" what a terrible thing it is to get a detention.

Commiserate with him, offer him pizza for tea, tell him tales of the punishments you got when you were his age.

@Longingdreamer just ignore the posters who are bored and want a dig

Call up and refuse detention/s based on job action. Your child left early and the tardiness was unavoidable end of.
Surgeons are often shifting their schedules. Don’t take public transport in most situations and as adults can call staff and say “I’m going to be 20 minutes late”.

And what is his behaviour is like generally at the school.

And now it's the classic extrapolation 😆

So loads of pupils presumably got detention?

I’d be cross about this. My colleagues who work in our London office have been allowed to wfh during strike days. I would email school and let them know how your child left home early but they were late because of something that was beyond the their control. I’m sure there were school staff that were late too.

Ok so many were put in detention.

Seems wrong given the strike

what is your view of the school this issue aside?

I was travelling yesterday and even if with the best will in the world and setting off extra early, it was v difficult to get to where I was going on time.

Staff and students were held up at my kids' school and I hope they weren't given detention.

YANBU to think that the school should be a bit flexible with the lateness policy on strike days.

Your reaction is OTT - it’s harsh but absolutely not evil or wicked or vicious or anything similar. On a planned strike day, I’d expect everyone to allow extra time to get to places so ideally nobody would be late. However, I think a detention is too harsh when there’s travel chaos.

🙄

presumably they had a car?

Harsh not wicked.

Welcome to the situation in the rest of the country, we don’t have tubes or trams and buses are notoriously unreliable, my bus was 45 minutes late one day last week and failed to come at all another day - it’s a so called on demand service you book the day before. Kids here are late and get detentions because cows are blocking the road!