Teachers making derogatory coimments about pupils on Facebook

[BobGarage]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on this, its a long story so bare with me...

At the end of the last school term my partner added one of the other parents at the school as a friend on Facebook. This was to keep in contact with her and her child as both ours and her child were moving up to secondary school after the summer holidays. The other parent also happens to be a teaching assistant at the school.

Once added as friends we noticed her status talking about how she was disapointed she'd missed the kids last week of a school as she was ill. In response to this was a comment made by my childs teacher, publicly slagging off my child. A few hours after becoming friends on Facebook the comment had been deleted and a few hours later the teacher in question had deleted her facebook account.

We had taken a screen shot of the comment and delivered it along with a letter of complaint to both the head teacher and the chair of governors.

That was in the first week of the summer holidays and so it was only responded to today. The response from the school to make the teacher write an apology saying she didn't mean to make the comment and stating how much she had loved teaching our child.

We are, understandable, upset over the publically visable comments made by the teacher in question and to be quite honest don't believe the teacher means one word of her appology for a single minute.

Following the arrival of the appology we have spoken to the chair of governors this morning over the telephone, stating we were unhappy with the way this incident was seemingly being brushed under the carpet with a brief, meaningless appology. His response was a simple "she's appologised and so the matter is closed".

Does anyone have any advice as to what we can do next? Obviously we do not consider the matter closed with a brief, meaningless appology. We have the screen shot of the original comment, plus now, an admission by the teacher that she did write the comments about our child.

A number of friends have suggested we make local and national newspapers aware of the situation. However, really, we'd rather not have our childs name splashed accross every paper in the land.

We are stuck now as to where to take the issue, any suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks

yest teachers are not bound by confidentiality like Medical prof are but I know that because of the confidetiality poilcy within the school we must not talk about child or children outside school which incudes the internet failure to do so is a breach of poilcy and dissaplinary action can take place.

She shouldn't have been daft enough to give a negative opinion about a pupil on a public forum, but unless she discussed the child's family, background, sensitive issues or learning needs it's a breech of tact and diplomacy rather than confidentiality.
I had a spoiled, domineering brat of a Y5 last year that I was delighted to see the back of, and her officious and bossy mother.
See, you can make negative judgements if you are careful. Little Angelica's parents will never know I was ranting about her. But on Facebook? With my name and everything?
I've already warned several of the younger staff about the inadvisability of adding parents as friends. Not worth the risk.

I know my mum looked at the possible dismissal of a teahcer in her school because of something written on Facebook she found out from her LEA taht she could go down the route if she wanted but she felt a short sharp reminder was enough with a written waring .