School suspension - reasonable or not?

[EvaB0710]

I need a balanced opinion on a suspension - can't decide if I am being unreasonable or school is!
Teenage boys prior to school accidentally spill hair gel on a ramp. Try to wipe it with feet but as they do realise it is slippy, which they find hilarious so put some more on top so they can slide on it (but not a lot, it was only a 100ml tube to start with and still more than half full!).
Shortly prior to lessons, other pupils arrive and also slide on it but grab the rail and none fall over. They find this amusing too.
They leave and go to lessons, firmly in the belief that it would dry very quickly.
Fastforward and it didn't dry. At all. Not one bit. A number of other pupils slipped on it and a few hours later a teacher, who was also carrying books and a coffee so couldn't grab the rail, went flying. To the point they apparently needed to go to hospital, I don't doubt they did go to hospital but my suspicious brain wonders if they wanted a few hours out of work etc (maybe unfair of me!). No serious injury, some bruising to knee but apparently needs a few days off to 'recover'.

All only came to light when the teacher slipped, they watched back CCTV and saw the boys. Immediately suspended for afternoon, with a further one day suspension.

If I'm honest, I feel suspension is a step too far. Yes it was an avoidable accident and yes they deliberately put the gel down.
BUT they never intended anyone to get hurt or slip over, just slide/ skid a little.
The school's main issue seems to be that they didn't tell anyone to get it cleaned it and left it in a dangerous state.
They didn't see it as dangerous - they have only witnessed people slide on it, not fall etc AND they thought it would dry quickly/ go away. I mean tbh, who would not think that hair gel which usually sets rock hard would not dry quickly. And their teenage boys. Who incidentally were immediately remorseful and devastated they had caused injury to someone.

Is suspension for 1.5 days proportionate or are school being unreasonable?

I can see where the lack of social responsibility and not taking ownership of their actions comes from

They all have varying degrees of SEN

So these are Year 7 boys with SEN who were messing around? Right that's why they were given 1.5 days not a full week off. This is why the school was lenient!

And that there is the problem. They either knew or should have known.

Zero awareness a gel substance, that they knew was causing a surface to be slipperry, could cause sonmeone to slip over and hurt themselves?

Well OP, looks like you've had your arse handed to you on a plate. 😂

Your son didn't think that slipping on spilled hair gel could cause someone an injury? How old are these boys? Small children know that slipping and falling can mean you get hurt.

The hair gel presumably didn't dry because there was a large amount of it. A smaller amount might have done. I'm totally on the side of the school. The teacher probably has a case for a personal injury claim.

What you are describing is reckless behavior which is legally punishable. Someone could have been very badly injured.

Yes, and causing a teacher to get injured, although the OP seems to think that teacher is a dishonest malingerer.

Impact over intention

What does that mean?

So they interfered with a ramp which is used for accessibility for disabled people and made it unsafe? And people were injured. Yes that’s suspension worthy.

All they had to do was report the spillage. If they saw people slide they knew they could fall… they’re teenagers not brain dead. People were injured. What if a wheelchair user had used the ramp and slid and been seriously harmed?

Stop excusing their behaviour. Yes they’re teens and they’re learning - this will teach them how serious it is to make somewhere unsafe for other people and make no effort to remove that risk of harm.

Of course it's reasonable. If they knew the surface was slippery and just carried on making it worse, they obviously hoped some poor person would fall. They should be glad that the injury wasn't serious and their suspension was short. Perhaps they could also learn a valuable lesson,and their parents tell them they deserve it.
Edited for typos.

Well let's hope that they have learnt a valuable lesson in life. Actions have consequences. OP you asked if school the response is reasonable, looks like you've got your answer.

Of course the SEN comes up after no one is agreeing with the OP

Suspension was absolutely justified. That teacher could have been seriously injured AND scalded.

Yes, reasonable action by the school, even accounting for age and SEN. If there was no ill intention the suspension is a good opportunity to learn that he needs to make sure that his actions don't make school unsafe for someone else. If it's a lesson he hasn't understood before maybe this is the opportunity to learn it.

Won't work if his mum minimisises and excuses bad behaviour though

School is absolutely right - if a little lenient
They added more to make it more slippy when they knew what would happen
It was a ramp presumably there to help all people but particularly those with disabilities including those less steady on their feet
And please dont use the "oh teenage boys" excuse thats pathetic in itself and no excuse
I hope there are consequences at home too but from your comments about the teacher I sadly think not

Massive respect to teachers. Don’t know how they put up with this.

The school think the boys were in the wrong. Everyone here thinks the boys were in the wrong. Does that not hint at the fact that they were indeed in the wrong?

OP, do you realise that in some countries the injured teacher could sue you?

If you fired a gun in the air just for fun, not meaning it to hurt someone but that bullet did hit someone you are still at fault whether the intention was there or not. We all know kids did it for a laugh and thought people slipping/falling was funny. Not as funny when it goes wrong and there are consequences though ey.

I think the suspension is fair, obviously they didn't mean for anyone to get hurt but at 15 they should have more sense when they knew how slippy it was.

Accidental dropping of hair gel in this place? Doubt it. What would they have been doing with the gel to “drop” it on this slope? They were messing about and caused injury.
Thought it would dry? Nope. Didn’t care they left it covered in gel.

Whether or not they didn’t intend for someone to get hurt, someone DID get hurt and it could have been so much worse. They should have cleared it up or reported it when they realised it was slippery. Actions have consequences and good they learn it now (as doesn’t sound as if there is much of that at home)