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's expectations are unrealistic and out of touch with the reality of getting around via public transport.

There's a strike. It's just unreasonable to expect kids who use public transport to get to school to be on time when transport is chaotic due to the strike.

Sympathy fist bump.

Yanbu. My dcs' school didn't give them if it was beyond the child's control.

Write and complain. I would.

I can’t stand these petty rules, they give me the rage! What’s the point in punishing a child for something they had no control over? Might as well break rules on purpose if you’re going to get punished for trying your best!

DH just hasn’t gone into work this week due to tube strikes - zero repercussions.

for your DS’ sake I’d just tell him the rules are dumb so he shouldn’t get upset about the detention and just treat it as thinking time.

I do think that’s unfair.

For those not familiar with London on a strike day, it isn’t just that the tube isn’t working, it’s that all other forms of transport are so busy they are unusable. Bus stops with 85ppl waiting and the bus is already full, trains packed so you can’t get on, no taxis or Ubers, roads totally gridlocked etc. It isn’t just a case of ‘leave earlier and allow extra time’. In some cases you just can’t get on any form of public transport and so if you can’t walk your journey you can’t make it.

I’d tell school that you won’t support such illogical and unjust punishments and that your DS will not be attending a detention for being late during a Tube strike.

Sympathy if the school had not made it clear in advance, as employers no doubtless did about attendance at an office (or not).

Imagine if all the train drivers just didn't show up to work.
Oh wait...

Just tell your child to ignore the detention if it’s an after school one. Then call the school and tell them it will not be happening.

They mean the traditional meaning of the word.

Ridiculous. My ds’s school has ‘failure of scheduled public transport’ as an acceptable reason for lateness.
(I suppose if they were being picky they would argue that on a strike day it’s not scheduled, but they wouldn’t because they are reasonable people.)

Problem is that you can’t predict how long it’ll take it there’s unprecedented traffic.

If our children’s school bus is late due to an accident they aren’t given a consequence because it’s out of their control.

The same as a teacher being late in the same circumstance wouldn’t be given a grievance or warning.

My Denise to get transported by taxi as went to a school with an EHCP. He never got a detention for being late because it wasn’t his fault the taxi picked him up late. He may have got a late mark though.

My dc school don’t give them if out of their control so not if the road was impassable and had to go long way round, bus was late etc I know other posters said it’s like work but to be honest if I was late I’d call and let work know. Shit happens I’ve found employers understanding for a one off.

@Longingdreamer

What are your plans for the rest of the week given its ongoing?

(not being snarky - my DC1 is walking as it's the only way they can get in)

And cause more issues for the child.

What a brilliant piece of advice.

I think it’s unreasonable of the school, but this kind of pettiness is what most schools are like these days. I know people love to role out the “it’s preparing them for the real world of work” argument. But no workplace I’ve ever worked at has doled out punishments for the odd unavoidable lateness, wearing the wrong socks, forgetting a ruler or refused to let staff go to the loo when they needed to. School wasn’t this strict and petty when I was at school and (anecdotally, I accept) behaviour in general was much better than I see at my son’s school today. Perhaps if detentions weren’t dished out so willy nilly, they’d hold more weight as a deterrent.

It does seem unfair and your child could not have been the only latecomer. I would have thought teachers having to supervise detentions was a waste of manpower and time consuming for such a small thing.

Support your son or daughter (not 'them', I think you are only talking about one child), and tell her or him to come home. Detentions should be reserved for something far more serious.

Extremely unfair & I assume an academy?

I wouldn’t accept it. Ring the school and say they won’t be attending as they left X minutes early.

If they still won’t waive the detention & you don’t want to keep arguing, I would let them know DC has a doctors appt tomorrow morning, dentist the following day and orthodontist on Friday. They might be late in as a result.

I know what London is line on Tube strike days - you just get up early and walk. DH was in London yesterday and walked everywhere! He did say the traffic was atrocious but it’s never exactly plain sailing there, even in bus lanes or taxis

I hate lateness, it is a personal bugbear of mine. And colleagues who are Gen Z genuinely cannot understand why people around them are annoyed when they come in every day 10 or 15 mins late. “Oh I’ll stay late and make it up” or “I’ll take a shorter lunch break”. You only have to come in two frigging days a week! Be on fucking time you useless lazy twats.

I know a surgeon who has just stayed in town rather than have her ops cancelled! So they meet their contractual obligations.

Obviously this is not so much about the OP’s child now but EVERYONE can get to work or school on time if they try hard enough. Everyone.
whether they can be arsed or not to make the effort is a different matter.

Was in Central London yesterday and today. Absolutely this!

Again with the surgeons? I don't know why you think that sample of 1 is so compelling.

Schools should cut children some slack so long as they're not taking advantage of the situation to just roll in at any time they please.

oh - the surgeon thing was responding to someone who said they knew a surgeon who cancelled because they couldn’t get in. Probably should have tagged - I don’t think it’s some massive representation of Surgeons In London. She knows someone who cancels because of tube strikes and I know someone who stays overnight to make sure it goes ahead.

In real life people are unavoidably late for work sometimes and it's not that big of a deal. That's because most workplaces aren't run like the mini gulags schools seem to model themselves on.

Seems harsh.

Why any need for public transport at all then?
Everyone could walk or stay in town.

(OP, of course it's unreasonable)