3 different punishments over a 5 month period for one incident -is this even legal ?

[LifeIz]

I have two kids at this school, one in year 7 and one in year 10. My DD was talking to friends during a lesson, her friend mention that her parent said the teacher was primordial, while my DD in response said her parent mention that the teacher was tribal... this conversation resulted in my DD having three different punishments, one being a 5 day internal exclusion, now she's on her fourth for the same incident, because the teacher said the first three punishments were not severe enough, culminating in another exclusion (this time external). [ angry]

Yep. Detention perfectly justified.
[gavel]

I gave you a clickable link to the exclusion guidance, which the school should be following.

You need to get a clear statement from the school of what happened when and then check whether they’ve followed their own behaviour and discipline policy and the exclusion guidance. Using racial terms to a teacher is a serious breach, but something about how this has been dealt with doesn’t stack up.

When the word was being used in the privacy of the home environment, I believe it was not said in a racial way, much in the same was as the AQA or OCR do not mean it in a racial way.

My anger is that my DD was continuously punished over a 5 month period, because the teacher said the first two punishments were not sever enough.

So what did you say?

Context is everything. I dare say the exam boards do use the word ‘tribal’ in a neutral and reasonable way, but applying the term to (say) a work of art is very different to applying it to a person. You seem to be evading the question of why the teacher was described as tribal.

Sounds like the teacher themselves has appealed or complained about their employers treatment of the situation. The school have then added extra punishments in to appease the teacher. This really isn’t reasonable for your daughter. If the teacher feels the punshiment was too lenient and the school agree they should apologise to the teacher for their handling of it and change their policies. They can’t just keep dishing out punishments.

As I was not the parent who said the word, I am not at liberty to say what was/was not said but am aware it was said a year ago during a conversation.

Panel thank you for the link - we have been given the file so have an idea what was actual said by my DD and the dates between each punishment - my DD wrote a letter of apology after she was asked to do so.

Was the letter of apology acceptable?

I read one written by a child after a serious specific bullying incident and I didn't think it acceptable at all. Further consequences would have ensured the punishment was adequate.

There are many words which aren’t racist in and of themselves, but which can be used in ways which make them so.

You keep saying your DD has only had one incident this year - have you actually asked and confirmed that this punishment is for the same incident? Or just working on the basis that you haven’t been told about any others?

I find the OP minimising of the use of racist language in the home and at school rather distasteful. If it was all so innocent you could easily explain the contextual use of those words.

An external exclusion for an incident that happened five months ago that has already been the subject of lesser punishments would certainly be illegal. Have you had a letter officially informing you of the exclusion and giving notice of your right to ask the governors to review it? If so, I suggest you exercise that right.

Yeah well, if it was perfectly innocent and and not racist there would be no reason for you not saying how it was used, would you?
More to this than meets the eye, as they say.

The word "tribal" is increasingly used in the sense of political tribes and is certainly not necessarily racist. Have a look at this article, for instance.

Yes-there are loads of contexts in which "tribal" is not racist. It seems unlikely that those are the contexts we are talking about here.

Massive piece of this story missing

There's clearly large pieces of information being missed here. Which means no one can answer or give advice.

Agree with pp that much of the story is missing.
No sympathy with your DD saying such rude, disrespectful, nasty and probably racial comments about a teacher tbh.
It's not really on to continue to punish her months later, though, if that is what school are in fact doing.

So what had happened previously to precipitate a conversation in which a parent described a teacher as ‘tribal’? And what did they mean? Of course you are ‘at liberty’ to say, if you know.

If you believe that your child has beren badly treated by the school, that sanctions have been disproportionately applied and outside the policy, and if you think there are grounds to believe that your child has been unfairly victimised due to her race then you need to take it up with the school in ways that PP have suggested.

PanelChair is an expert in school procedures and policies (as is admission) and there is at least one person on the thread who is a school governor.

You need to talk to the school because either way you need to know whether your Dd is being treated unjustly or whether she is behaving unacceptably. I would want actual details rather than ‘British values’ , for example.

•Bibesia* there is also a context, for example, in which POC use it to describe a different POC community, and it offensive, and intended to be so. Context is ALL. Who said it and who to / about, and why.

Not at liberty to say . I'll bet...

You still sound both racist and supportive of your daughter making racist comments.
Exam boards talking about art history might ask a question that requires student to compare the impressionists with tribal artwork from the Masai Mara. That is hugely different to suggesting a teacher had not evolved.

The ethnicity of your child is irrelevant. Go and speak to school about how you can support them to educate your child. Write and apologise to the teacher.

CherryPavlova - please read the whole post.

I've read the whole thread and think CherryPavlova has is spot on.

What it is that we are both missing OP?

I know what is missing for me is any sense that you think the racist abuse heard at home and repeated at school is disgraceful.

But you refuse to explain the context in which your dd's teacher was described as tribal. You just insist it wasn't racist.
I've read the entire thread; and I'm no wiser now than I was after your first post.
Your refusal to clarify speaks volumes, though.

The ethnicity of my child is absolutely relevant, it will always be relevant.
I have just been told by a teacher at the school that the school has not excluded any child in the last few years, it is a known fact they have boys sending sexting images to other schools, children in gangs, children destroying whole rooms of equipment, both boys and girls swearing at teachers and not being excluded.

So OP these things are bad:

'boys sending sexting images to other schools, children in gangs, children destroying whole rooms of equipment, both boys and girls swearing at teachers'

But racism is OK??