School staff member took my child’s toy (for his own child) after confiscating items for sale

[Busyybee]

My DC has recently been selling squishy toys at school, he’s an entrepreneur in the making. However we told him it wasn’t a good idea and he carried on.

On Friday he got caught and his teacher gave me his school bag which contained ‘his stock’. They asked me to not allow him to bring them in as it’s not allowed. I told them I’m glad they’ve said it to him & he won’t be bringing them again. As the teacher handed me the bag, another staff member who works at the school asked to see what he was selling and went on to take 1 squishy & said ‘this will be nice for my daughter’. My DC asked him for the money & the staff member said ‘No, your lucky I didn’t take the lot’

My DC asked the staff member for the money or squishy back & he said ‘Na na your not getting it back, your lucky it wasn’t (deputy head) as she would of taken the lot’

This doesn’t sit right with me, value is only £1 but it’s the principle. What is this teaching the children?

What do I do about this?

They don't turn up when a shop is robbed because the suspect is usually long gone - trust me, they would enjoy this and very much turn up.

The poor parenting caused the second issue! Natural consequence. Up your parenting and you won’t have these issues.

Your use of CAPITAL letters makes it no more valid!

This is a bizarre situation. OP has agreed their child shouldn’t have taken the toys into school to sell. They had told them not to and they continued to do it. They were caught and the bag of toys confiscated. All good so far.

A teacher then proceeded to take a toy from the bag with the intention of giving it to their own child without paying for it. They refused to return it when asked by both op and their child. There is no scenario in which this is ok. It is theft. I don’t see how it can be interpreted any differently.

Gosh its dire how so many cant actually read on MN.

OP - look its not great they teacher stole the stuff, and if i were you, i would be speaking to the head - it is not very becoming of a teacher. I would however also be a bit nervous at the backlash this teacher could cause on your child - if they are not fired...

If you think regardless of complaints the school will fob you off, then just wait until next time school want £1 for something or other.

Like non uniform day and take in £1 for example, just send him in with his non uniform on and tell them to stick the £1 up their arse, and if they really want it that badly they get it off Mr Sticky Fingers.

Have only read the OP. What an immature reaction from the teacher! Doesnt sit right with me either. Pinching stuff is not on in my view. Its what a 5yo or a10yo would do.

That teacher is a cf. Even if they are allowed to confiscated the merch and don't give it back. They way the teacher spoke is a piss taking.
Confiscated all and give it away on the school raffles, charity or bin it. Lesson learned for all the kids that do that, but pick a mix because I'm worthy is not the way to proceed.

I was merely quoting the CAPITAL letters in the previous post (which was not mine). As I am doing now.

And you haven't provided any arguments at all to justify the actions of the teacher, continuing to ignore what this sort of example teaches the children in the school.

I didn't say that. OP commented earlier today that stuff was being sold from Thailand in their son's school. As you say knock off stuff is very unlikely to meet UK trading standards at the very best and much more likely to used to fund nefarious individuals. I complete agree about TEMU etc!

Two wrongs don't make a right. It's a poor example of behaviour from the teacher. I'd be inclined to email the circumstances to the head or governors, acknowledging your child's wrongdoing, but expressing concern at the teacher's behaviour, especially given his previous form.

You've read both of my posts with all the nuance of an American monster truck squashing a small sheep. Good luck and all the best 🤣

But where they breaking any rules?

On Monday a group of girls came to my door selling bracelets they had made. They were not breaking any school rules.

👋

I’ve no idea to be honest. Just year’s ago (I’m talking decades) it was just something kids did. They’d sell you their lunchbox Wagon Wheel 😁

OP said it was against the rules.

Good advice. There are two issues here muddying each other. The teacher is most definitely in the wrong and OP can learn from this and not fall for the ‘but everyone else does it’ cliche kids are so fond of.

They don't have to turn up. They can invite the teacher in for an interview, and take it from there. As the poster said, it's low hanging fruit for them as it increases their clear-up rate with minimal effort.

Just email the headteacher and ask what the school's policy is about returning or disposing of confiscated items. Your child's toy was confiscated (rightly so: you are not questioning that), and the teacher now says it will not be returned because he has given it to his own child. Is this school policy?

Why mention the one night stand then? What has that got to do with a squishy?

Nonsense. There is no scenario whatsoever where that teacher could claim that they were forced to steal the child's things.

Frankly, if a teacher really resorted in that situation to the excuse "But the child made me do it" they'd deserve to be sacked for that alone.

They are not going to invite the teacher in for a voluntary interview or an interview under caution over a one pound squishy.

No they wouldn't

For effectively stealing from a pupil ? How so ?

They won’t be! Nor will they be sacked for a one night stand, or how they handled the dog biting the child, nor the fact the no dog zone isn’t being adhered to!

Honestly, OP should homeschool, it would be best for everyone, she can then exclude the lessons that she deems a waste of time, and let her child be more entrepreneurial.

It’s not the value of the item. The issue here is that the rules are clear, unless dangerous, confiscated items have to be returned. In this case the teacher hasn’t ‘confiscated’ anything. He’s taken the toy for his own child. It’s theft. It’s also not a very good example for the teacher to be setting.