[Nicole]

Before I go to this meeting with the principal tomorrow, I need to get an idea of whether DD's suspension was a bot over the top. First I will offer some background info.

DD is 15, almost 16, but she has an intellectual delay and is probably closer to a 10 year old mentally. She goes to a mainstream high school but is in an IO class (the school has a support unit within). She has always been in an IO class, all the way through primary until now and beyond. She has never been in any serious trouble at school, never even had a detention. All her teachers say she is polite, respectful and well behaved.

So last Friday I get a call from the head teacher of the support unit, to advise me she was suspending DD for four days. She said DD and 2 other boys had made calls to 000. The police obviously traced the calls and came to the school to talk to the kids. It was not DD's phone as she isn't allowed to take hers to school and I know she didn't take it because she hands it to me every morning before she goes. She was absolutely distraught that the police came and yelled at her, she is terrified of the police to begin with. She was also adamant that she didn't make the calls, she agrees she was with the boys when the calls were made but that she didn't make them.

Now if this were one of my other NT kids, I would probably be a bit shocked but not overly surprised that they would be suspended over prank calls (yes I know it is serious to prank 000, Im not disputing that). But these kids are in the IO classes, they really have no concept, well I know DD doesn't, she is still struggling with the whole thing and doesn't understand why she cant go to school. We've explained it to her several times in ways that we hope she can understand about the seriousness of prank calls to 000 and what could have happened etc, but honestly, its beyond her comprehension.

So am I alone in thinking a four day suspension is OTT? Lunchtime detention, even after school detention I could maybe cop, but suspensions? Seriously? And remember this is a kid who has never been in trouble before at school.

[doctorseuss]

Sounds OTT to me. I imagine the police may have influenced the principal's decision.

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

It really sounds OTT to me too.

I don't agree with suspension anyway but definitely not in this case.

[Leggy]

I agree that prank calling 000 is very serious, but for a dev-delayed kid who has never been in any trouble before, a 4-day suspension sounds pretty harsh to me.

[casime]

It does seem heavy, but calling 000 without justification is a criminal offence and the police were involved, which makes it pretty serious. Could the school have made an agreement that the students would be suspended in lieu of charges being laid?

[beaglebaby]

It sounds like a total over reaction. I'm also concerned about the lack of supervision, does the school allow students to use their mobile phones during school hours or was it a school phone? Why did no one see it happen. Aside from that, they know your daughter didn't make the calls, why is she being punished for owning up to the fact she was present at the time?

It could have been used as a valuable learning experience for her class, instead they will probably all be too terrified to call 000 ever again even if the circumstances warrant it.

[PurpleWitch]

Way OTT.

[Nicole]

The police called me the as,e afternoon to let me know what had happened and that they had spoken to DD. He said whilst no charges would be laid, there would be an official record of it made. I really don't get what suspending the kids will achieve.

[Nicole]

This happened at recess, which is a whole other issue, I don't understand why I wasn't called immediately. The letter says that a teacher saw 3 kids with a phone, and at the same time calls were made to 000. No one actually saw Dd on the phone though, they just keep saying she was there, so guilty by association I guess.

I know she will be too scared to ever call 000 again, so I really hope she never has a need to.

[Tigerdog]

It does seem heavy, but calling 000 without justification is a criminal offence and the police were involved, which makes it pretty serious. Could the school have made an agreement that the students would be suspended in lieu of charges being laid?

This. I would say that to have got off with only this you're getting off easy. The intellectual delay is probably the only thing that prevented them from laying charges.