My 14-year-old daughter wrote an anonymous poem on Word Prompt about feeling uneasy seeing a former friend at school. She used the person’s real name, but it wasn’t threatening in any way. Today, the school pulled her in and had the school safety officer interrogate her for 30 minutes without notifying us. We only found out after the fact, and now she’s scared to go back to school. The school hasn’t given us any documentation or policy violation. What can we do about this?
Wow, that sounds really unfair. If she wasn’t making threats, why did they even question her like that?
Emerson said:
Wow, that sounds really unfair. If she wasn’t making threats, why did they even question her like that?
No idea. They haven’t given us any real explanation.
Emerson said:
Wow, that sounds really unfair. If she wasn’t making threats, why did they even question her like that?
That’s so frustrating. Did they say if she was in trouble or just ‘investigating’?
Schools are supposed to inform parents before questioning a minor. Have you asked them why you weren’t contacted?
Mal said:
Schools are supposed to inform parents before questioning a minor. Have you asked them why you weren’t contacted?
Not yet, but we’re planning to. We weren’t even given a heads-up.
Mal said:
Schools are supposed to inform parents before questioning a minor. Have you asked them why you weren’t contacted?
Definitely push for answers. That’s not okay.
I don’t understand why they escalated this to a safety officer. If there was no threat, it should have been handled by a teacher or counselor.
Chase said:
I don’t understand why they escalated this to a safety officer. If there was no threat, it should have been handled by a teacher or counselor.
Exactly. She was just expressing her emotions, not causing harm.
Chase said:
I don’t understand why they escalated this to a safety officer. If there was no threat, it should have been handled by a teacher or counselor.
Maybe they overreacted because someone complained? Still, they should’ve handled it better.
This sounds like something that should have involved a counselor instead of an interrogation. Have you considered reaching out to the school district?
Lian said:
This sounds like something that should have involved a counselor instead of an interrogation. Have you considered reaching out to the school district?
Yeah, we might have to. This was way too extreme.
Lian said:
This sounds like something that should have involved a counselor instead of an interrogation. Have you considered reaching out to the school district?
Also, maybe check if there are any student rights violations. They can’t just question kids without parents knowing.
If your daughter is now afraid to go back, I’d demand a meeting with the principal. Schools need to be held accountable for how they handle things like this.
Winter said:
If your daughter is now afraid to go back, I’d demand a meeting with the principal. Schools need to be held accountable for how they handle things like this.
That’s what we’re thinking too. She shouldn’t have to feel unsafe over this.
Winter said:
If your daughter is now afraid to go back, I’d demand a meeting with the principal. Schools need to be held accountable for how they handle things like this.
Also document everything! If you need to take legal action later, having records of what happened will help.