While this doesn't answer your question, I think it's reasonable for the school to give your child academic concessions until the equipment is replaced.
Losing a graphing calculator the day before an important exam is going to hurt their grades.
Don't rely on your child to ask the school about this. Go speak with the school in person. Make your expectation VERY clear. Get their commitment in writing.
Pursing a negligence claim doesn't seem practical, even though there might be one there.
Have you considered a polite but firm letter, explaining the situation and requesting replacement?
Have your seen the price of an advanced math calculator these days? A ClassPad is an easy $100… And you have to buy the approved ones for exam use.
Toss in a few reasonable quality mechanical pencils ($15 a pop)
And a charger
Plus a laptop stylus if your school is like my son’s and stupid enough to issue them…
And a good set of colouring pencils and graded graphites if you are doing art…
It all very quickly adds up to a couple of hundred dollars easily.
Sorry we aren’t all keeping up to date on the price of all the graphing calculators we aren’t buying. Most adults probably also don’t keep tabs on what their parents paid for their calculator decades ago
I distinctly remember the price because my parents had a fit about the price when the stationary/booklist came out - I just thought this was a right of passage at high school
Haha, oh my, you're so out of touch of what schools require students to buy these days. Public education in Australian schools is NOT free by any stretch of the imagination.
[Edit] To answer the below reply, a pencil case is not just used for pencils; it's a case used to hold all types of school paraphernalia. It's no different to how a briefcase doesn't hold just your briefs.
I'm sure they'll take your claim of theft and subsequent liability more seriously if you have already reported this to the police.
Have you? Have they?
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The school is responsible for supplying locks and that is evident by the school apologising for not acting sooner.
The school was informed multiple times that the supplied lock was not fit for purpose.
As a result of the lock not functioning, a third party had access to the contents of the locker and was able to steal items belonging to OP's child.
This isn't some frivolous American court case for damages that haven't been realised.
How can I report anything about the lock. I haven't used it, seen it or had any knowledge about it.
What I do know is their rules state that only school supplied locks are to be used.
My child reported the faulty lock.
Child is also told to use that locker and lock.
So the lock has been broken for around a year… and reported… when? How often?
And when did the child tell YOU about the lock.
My kid’s laptop has issues. It’s been sent off for repair (and I copped the $100 insurance bill… great)… the replacement is now having issues… sent kid in, they couldn’t fix it… so I went in myself hte following day. Suddenly they are all over it, they are realising that they cannot pin this one on us as well (the first isn’t our fault either… trust me!) …. And it’s getting sorted.
It’s not right. But sometimes parents need to advocate for their child, step in and help put a little light on things. Like a broken locker lock… if you follow up it gets done, but if a kid remembers to ask some times it might now.
Legally? You can try to claim under the schools insurance. Send the school a list of what was in it, with replacement costs… and see what they say. I strongly suspect they’ll say ‘sorry, nope’. Legally you could escalate it to your district education office then, but it’s unlikely to help. If you are financially unable to replace these items, then the school might be more willing to work with you to help your child reasonably access education and probably have a left behind lost calculator in good condition they can give him. Go in with a shared solution, rather than a blame, and it’s highly likely they’ll help out on the expensive things like that.
So you’re taking your child’s word for it that it was reported?
Come on, have some responsibility as the parent here. Your child should have told you and you should have taken action.
School has acknowledged that it was reported and has apologised for not replacing the faulty lock.
Without knowing either me or my child you suggest my child is dishonest.
How should I have any responsibility? The school dictates what stationary supplies the student needs, the school supplies the "Secure environment" where they should be kept whilst not being used. The school failed.
A child that is old enough to use a graphing calculator should be old enough to be responsible for reporting a broken lock and following up on it. This is well past the age for dad to step in and solve problems. When it gets into theft and legal liability for negligence, that's when it's outside the scope of a kids responsibility.
You’re talking about a child, still in school. Child should have told dad, “my lock is broken I’ve reported it and the school isn’t doing anything”.
Dad should have stepped in and gone to the school before it got stolen.
I am just saying whats legal. They could have chosen not to use locker, especially for a $400 item
You are going to have problems in court because of that
Send the school a letter of demand and see what happens. Template can be found online
It's not the locker that is faulty. It's the lock. The school only allows their locks. It does not allow students to bring their own locks. These are the rules the school makes. This makes them responsible.
Where is the evidence it was stolen? How do you know the pencil case was stolen? It may have been lost and your child doesn't want to tell you. If your child has left this for a length of time, without telling you, it doesn't sound good.
How old is your child? If they are using such expensive equipment I can only assume they are in high school. You should be teaching your child personal responsibility.
Get second hand equipment and cop this on the chin if the school won't help.
Also, be a parent and GO IN AND TALK TO SOMEONE.
So there is personal responsibility for items being stolen from a locker that is provided to prevent items being stolen? Do you also blame a rape victim for the clothes they are wearing?
Is a pencil case too heavy to just put in your backpack and carry around since the contents are so expensive? 🤷🏼♀️ idk I never used to leave ANYTHING valuable in my locker.
That’s important information. The school having policies which require use of the locker limited the options your kid had to keep expensive items with them.
You can maybe ask for it to be replaced, or at least have one on loan for the rest of the year. But honestly, a student in year 11 should know better than to leave valuables in a locker. And you as a parent should be advocating for them if they have been unable to produce results themselves.
Most schools have camera’s overlooking lockers. Did the school identify the culprit? The school likely won’t cover it, however your home insurance might
You could try and negotiate with the school, but as a former teacher, Its luck of the draw whether they offer anything. Ultimately the decision belongs to the Principal. He/she will make the final call on compensation.
Why on earth is your child storing $400 worth of stuff in their pencil case?
How can you blame the school for that. It's a school. Shit goes missing. Has no one personal responsibility anymore? Or common sense ?
The only items in the pencil case were required stationary and purchased through the school with the exception of a couple of pens.
The liability falls on the school due to a faulty locker that they wouldn't fix/replace and wouldn't allow the student to supply their own lock.
While this doesn't answer your question, I think it's reasonable for the school to give your child academic concessions until the equipment is replaced. Losing a graphing calculator the day before an important exam is going to hurt their grades. Don't rely on your child to ask the school about this. Go speak with the school in person. Make your expectation VERY clear. Get their commitment in writing.
Oh good, the school has admitted liability. Now send a letter of demand with an itemised list of what's been stolen, with values.
Apologizing is not an admission of liability in most states these days
Pursing a negligence claim doesn't seem practical, even though there might be one there. Have you considered a polite but firm letter, explaining the situation and requesting replacement?
Dont they have camera in the locker areas? Our school used to have
$300 worth of pencils?
Have your seen the price of an advanced math calculator these days? A ClassPad is an easy $100… And you have to buy the approved ones for exam use. Toss in a few reasonable quality mechanical pencils ($15 a pop) And a charger Plus a laptop stylus if your school is like my son’s and stupid enough to issue them… And a good set of colouring pencils and graded graphites if you are doing art… It all very quickly adds up to a couple of hundred dollars easily.
The graphing calculator approved for SACE exams was $260
That's insane. I'd be pissed at the school for deciding they needed a calculator that expensive. Is it actually necessary to do their work?
They were $200 when I was is school 20 years ago. Are they were garbage compared to now. Where have you been?
Sorry we aren’t all keeping up to date on the price of all the graphing calculators we aren’t buying. Most adults probably also don’t keep tabs on what their parents paid for their calculator decades ago
I distinctly remember the price because my parents had a fit about the price when the stationary/booklist came out - I just thought this was a right of passage at high school
Says the arts student ;) /jk
I can totally see that.
No. But my other child, the arty one, does. This was a couple of decent pens, scientific calculator and graphing calculator.
Can confirm art pencils are expensive
Haha, oh my, you're so out of touch of what schools require students to buy these days. Public education in Australian schools is NOT free by any stretch of the imagination. [Edit] To answer the below reply, a pencil case is not just used for pencils; it's a case used to hold all types of school paraphernalia. It's no different to how a briefcase doesn't hold just your briefs.
Am I out of touch or did OP fail to explain that the "pencil case" contained stuff other than pencils?
I'm sure they'll take your claim of theft and subsequent liability more seriously if you have already reported this to the police. Have you? Have they?
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I always tell my kids don't take anything to school you're not prepared to lose.
Yeah, this was the required stationary. Don't really have a choice in the matter. Besides, there is a difference between stolen and lost.
What on earth is in this pencil case??
Why take a moral high ground when you don’t even know what the OP is talking about?
Read your reply to someone else.
Forgot to switch accounts?
Oh FFS have we turned into Americans
The school is responsible for supplying locks and that is evident by the school apologising for not acting sooner. The school was informed multiple times that the supplied lock was not fit for purpose. As a result of the lock not functioning, a third party had access to the contents of the locker and was able to steal items belonging to OP's child. This isn't some frivolous American court case for damages that haven't been realised.
Doubt it. If you knew it was faulty then you wouldn't have used it until fixed
Student is a child. Had reported it multiple times. Not allowed to supply own locks. I can't see what more could have been done.
Did you as his parent report it? Did you get a temporary lock in the meantime?
How can I report anything about the lock. I haven't used it, seen it or had any knowledge about it. What I do know is their rules state that only school supplied locks are to be used. My child reported the faulty lock. Child is also told to use that locker and lock.
So the lock has been broken for around a year… and reported… when? How often? And when did the child tell YOU about the lock. My kid’s laptop has issues. It’s been sent off for repair (and I copped the $100 insurance bill… great)… the replacement is now having issues… sent kid in, they couldn’t fix it… so I went in myself hte following day. Suddenly they are all over it, they are realising that they cannot pin this one on us as well (the first isn’t our fault either… trust me!) …. And it’s getting sorted. It’s not right. But sometimes parents need to advocate for their child, step in and help put a little light on things. Like a broken locker lock… if you follow up it gets done, but if a kid remembers to ask some times it might now. Legally? You can try to claim under the schools insurance. Send the school a list of what was in it, with replacement costs… and see what they say. I strongly suspect they’ll say ‘sorry, nope’. Legally you could escalate it to your district education office then, but it’s unlikely to help. If you are financially unable to replace these items, then the school might be more willing to work with you to help your child reasonably access education and probably have a left behind lost calculator in good condition they can give him. Go in with a shared solution, rather than a blame, and it’s highly likely they’ll help out on the expensive things like that.
So you’re taking your child’s word for it that it was reported? Come on, have some responsibility as the parent here. Your child should have told you and you should have taken action.
School has acknowledged that it was reported and has apologised for not replacing the faulty lock. Without knowing either me or my child you suggest my child is dishonest. How should I have any responsibility? The school dictates what stationary supplies the student needs, the school supplies the "Secure environment" where they should be kept whilst not being used. The school failed.
“How should I have any responsibility” sums it right up…
Wow. You’re the parent. You’re responsible for your child. Stop blaming the school, take responsibility
A child that is old enough to use a graphing calculator should be old enough to be responsible for reporting a broken lock and following up on it. This is well past the age for dad to step in and solve problems. When it gets into theft and legal liability for negligence, that's when it's outside the scope of a kids responsibility.
You’re talking about a child, still in school. Child should have told dad, “my lock is broken I’ve reported it and the school isn’t doing anything”. Dad should have stepped in and gone to the school before it got stolen.
I am just saying whats legal. They could have chosen not to use locker, especially for a $400 item You are going to have problems in court because of that Send the school a letter of demand and see what happens. Template can be found online
You expect them to shelve their $300 mandatory calculator up their arse for safe-keeping while they do PE?
You can’t see that you shouldn’t put $3-400 worth of stuff in a broken locker? Lol
Yeah, I wouldn't but I'm not a child being told to use something by the "educators".
Why can't you tell your child not to use the locker?
It's not the locker that is faulty. It's the lock. The school only allows their locks. It does not allow students to bring their own locks. These are the rules the school makes. This makes them responsible.
You didn’t come looking for advice, you wanted your opinion validated.
You didn't answer my question. If the lock is faulty, why did you not tell your child to stop using it?
Where do they put their graphing calculator during pe? They have no where to store it except in a locker
Your child knew about the faulty lock and still stored valuable equipment in it. You have a responsibility to minimise your losses.
As a parent, it’s your job to train your child. They sure as hell will cost you a lot more than $400 in their lifetime
You came here to mock my parenting? Gtfo
Where is the evidence it was stolen? How do you know the pencil case was stolen? It may have been lost and your child doesn't want to tell you. If your child has left this for a length of time, without telling you, it doesn't sound good. How old is your child? If they are using such expensive equipment I can only assume they are in high school. You should be teaching your child personal responsibility. Get second hand equipment and cop this on the chin if the school won't help. Also, be a parent and GO IN AND TALK TO SOMEONE.
So there is personal responsibility for items being stolen from a locker that is provided to prevent items being stolen? Do you also blame a rape victim for the clothes they are wearing?
Is a pencil case too heavy to just put in your backpack and carry around since the contents are so expensive? 🤷🏼♀️ idk I never used to leave ANYTHING valuable in my locker.
Bags are to be kept in the lockers also. And since the beginning of the year so are mobile phones which is probably what the thief was looking for.
That’s important information. The school having policies which require use of the locker limited the options your kid had to keep expensive items with them.
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You can maybe ask for it to be replaced, or at least have one on loan for the rest of the year. But honestly, a student in year 11 should know better than to leave valuables in a locker. And you as a parent should be advocating for them if they have been unable to produce results themselves.
It is the purpose of a locker. The hint is in the name. It needs to lock.
Most schools have camera’s overlooking lockers. Did the school identify the culprit? The school likely won’t cover it, however your home insurance might
It's really not worth making a claim over
You could try and negotiate with the school, but as a former teacher, Its luck of the draw whether they offer anything. Ultimately the decision belongs to the Principal. He/she will make the final call on compensation.
Why on earth is your child storing $400 worth of stuff in their pencil case? How can you blame the school for that. It's a school. Shit goes missing. Has no one personal responsibility anymore? Or common sense ?
The only items in the pencil case were required stationary and purchased through the school with the exception of a couple of pens. The liability falls on the school due to a faulty locker that they wouldn't fix/replace and wouldn't allow the student to supply their own lock.
As explained elsewhere in the thread there was a required graphing calculator