Hi all, im after advice on how other mums would handle this situation. My son has at times lied to me about serious things and because of this i do question sometimes on whether he has been honest, this is one of those times.
On monday my son ( mr 11) has somehow taken a fall of the second storey verandah at school. Mr 11 is saying that he was playing on top of the port racks and was pushed by another boy. However the principal and several witnesses are saying he jumped to show a boy he was about to get in a fight with how tough he was.and that mr 11 had also said this when it first happened but chanhed his story when i arrived. It happened at the start of little lunch when the teachers sent children out in small groups at a time to get their lunches to take back into the class room to eat, the admin called me to inform, i obviously asked if he was ok and did i need to come get him or meet him at the hospital. I was told he was fine and lucky to only have a bit of a sore leg, that he could stay at school and they would call if i was needed. 5 minutes later they called me back saying he was limping a little and to pick him up. When i got there he was not not weight bearing at all, just hopping, he said his foot hurt but wasnt crying or really distressed. I took a quick look and it was a little swoolen but no bruising and he could move his toes and ankle fine so i made the decision to visit our local gp for a check up. Well.... Turns out his foot is fractured in 3 places, one fracture is very bad and two are displaced, he may need surgery to fix it.
Family and friends are saying this is negligence of the school, children shouldnt be left alone on the verandahs and they should have called an ambulance. Im still trying figure out what and how this happened and attending numerous doctors appointments at the same time.
On one hand my son is in the wrong too, he is 11 and knows that he should not have been on the port racks but on the other hand maybe a teacher should have been supervising.
I want to get to the bottom of this because its lucky that from the height he fell a broken foot is his only injury, whether he was pushed or jumped it needs to be addressed. Neither the school or mr 11 are budging on their stories and i dont know who to believe, i want to believe my son but he has lied to me about things like this before..
How do i handle this, what would you do if you were in my position?
8 Replies
Pfft no, an 11 year old can and should be able to go on a verandah on there own! I think your boy was in the wrong and showing off. There is no way an 11 year old should need to be supervised 100% of the time. The next thing teachers will have to follow kids to the toilet!
It's only a few years away and he will legally be able to have a job and a few years more and he'll be driving.
If a school was going to supervise students like that they would basically have to triple there staff ratios and an 11 year old should be able to be trusted to run a simple errand on the school grounds. 5 year olds make it to the office and back safely without getting them selves into trouble.
As to the injury itself, it's not uncommon for injuries to not look as serious at first because adrenalin kicks in etc and your son would have been on quite a high from his adventure. It's not until the adrenalin lowers and swelling starts that things become painful. So I think the school handled the situation as best as anyone would have. If they hadn't rung you at all and kept you notified of the changes then that would be a concern.
To be honest I'd believe the school and the witnesses.
At his age he should be able to play safely and independently without constant supervision. Yard duty treachery often cover a large area so I'm sure there was supervision to an extent but not every child was being watched at every second.
Having said all that, I'm fairly sure schools have compulsory insurance for these types of accidents so at the very least make sure you arent out of pocket for any medical expenses.
They go on verandahs all the time. He jumped off. I think youre shocked and sad but this is a time where you need to blame your son for doing something incredibly stupid and dangerous.
He was supposed to get his lunch and go back in, even by his story what was he doing ontop of a port rack on the edge of a balcony?! Why was he fighting another boy? Ask a few more questions, he wasnt doing what he was supposed to be doing or this wouldnt have happened.
You didnt run him straight to the hospital either, you said he was not really distressed so the school handled it well.
11 year olds shouldn't need to be supervised on verandas...I don't know any other child who has ever jumped off one. I think the school should have called the ambulance but at the same time you also didn't call one straight away so they probably felt the same as you about the situation.
Agree with the other posters.. you're child is old enough to not need supervision to go on a verandah. He'll be a "leader" next year in the school (assuming he is in grade 5 now by age) and an age that the younger children look up to. He needs to know better.
I would definitely believe the school and witnesses, if there are several then I would have NO doubt in believing them.
From personal experience with a family member being a chronic liar, I would seek professional help sooner rather than later. One thing leads to another and it can become VERY serious and ruin a lot of lives.
I agree with every else - 11yo should know not to be climbing on the verandah rails, his foot injury actually indicates a jump rather then a fall as if he was pushed he would have been more 'off his guard ' and more likely to land awkwardly and more serious injuries in an arm to brace him self or even his back or head ...... it sounds the most like everyone acted appropriately - the school informed you and called as soon as injury seemed to get worse and you took him
To the dr to be checked . Really unless he was distressed and unable to move his foot or
Leg that's what most people would do! Rest easy that you also did that right thing !!!
As for your son I would say he's lying to get himself out of trouble ! :( best you start addressing the lying asap! Good
Luck xo
Call the Dept of Education and get some advice.
Update and more information....
For those who are questioning the height of the fall, it was from the top of the port racks on the second floor to the ground below.
I have had meetings with the principal and two teachers from the school and as it would seem, the school cant get their story straight either and i have gotten 2 different stories from them. There has also never been a rule for children playing on the port racks and they openly admited that a teacher had seen my son up there and said nothing to him. While i do understand that my son is eleven and should have known better, the teachers should also be supervising better then allowing children to play in such a dangerous situation. Im still unsure who to believe, this is not the first incident at this school (only been there 3 months) last year my son was pushed down 26 stairs by a child he had dobbed in earlier that week for punching him in the face. Nothing was done about either of those incidents. My younger child (8) who also attends this school has had issues too, he had to be put in lockdown due to a child trying to attack him after already trying to choke him, a child who once bought home reports of being a pleasure to teach is now bringing home reports of being trouble maker, his grades have also declined in the time he has been in this school. I have decided to remove both my children from the school and will be driving the 45 minutes to take them to their previous school.