What are the various other schools' policy on parent visit ?

[Amos2010]

tankee:

or that someone with bad intention, pretend to be a parent / guardian to gain entry to the school compound and cause harm?

You must see how I analyse this carefully :

The situation now is, the school regard parents and non-parent visitors as just visitors. Thus your concern above is valid.

Therefore, they always conveniently use one single reason - security to deny parent's visit and presence in school. Which is what bothering me.

In my opinion, schools have to take the security matter seriously and therefore treat different class of visitors differently. It is not by lumping everyone into one category and use one rule and solve their problems. This is not correct.

So, parents - my stand is they are not 'security threat' per se.
Then, the school's security guard must identify parents from non-parents.
This is the discussion I am focusing on now.

So if you follow this trend of thought, what you just said about other visitors pretending to be parents (which I quoted above) is already a pas`se´.

It is exactly what you said, that makes me think I should get the school to do as I suggested: issue some form of paper to distinguish parents from non-parent visitors, and don't ka-chiao the parents, be more vigilent on the non-parent visitors.

[Amos2010]

jedamum:

for a start, you can suggest to the school for an upgrade of signing in system using IC-scanning. one of the pri schs i visited used this system, and the security guard correctly pointed out that it was my first visit;

If the security guard does check the IC, this is the desireable result. The guard can tell who visited before.

The current problem which I identifiy is: all visitors just sign in on the visitor log, no need to show any photo ID, and just go in.

[Nebbermind]

maybe these days family matters more complicated, eg, in divorce case whereby one parent may want to kidnap the child and leave th country to deny the other party custody. So schools may try not to be implicated for such things.

[Amos2010]

Nebbermind:

maybe these days family matters more complicated, eg, in divorce case whereby one parent may want to kidnap the child and leave th country to deny the other party custody. So schools may try not to be implicated for such things.

This scenario is possible.

If that spouse has legal rights for that child, technically that is not kidnap/abduction. Kidnap is usually refer to abduction for ransom. Kidnap is a very very serious offense in Singapore, can sentense to death.

However, if that spouse does this, that is a sure way to lose custody of that child. If that spouse 'has not lose his/her mind over the stress' then he/she would not resort to this.

Furthermore, this spouse will only 'take away' his/her child. Not another child.

For this scenario, you notice that this spouse is a real parent. His/her IC will be in the system. So, no way the school can detect, or even stop the person from taking the child away (as you correctly point out, the school may not want to get itself involved in the family dispute).

The scenario you describe is a unique one, and I believe it doesn't happen every day. I know, no matter how I try to say that this is a very small chance, no one will be convinced by me that is why I wrote \"this is possible\" up front.

The only way to prevent this, maybe, is to get a Court Order to prevent the spouse from touching the child. If this can be done, then see if the school can uphold the Court Order. But I think it is hard, the school don't have this obligation, nor the resources to do this. My views.

[vivi33]

[quote]Amos2010 wrote

So, parents - my stand is they are not 'security threat' per se.
Then, the school's security guard must identify parents from non-parents.
This is the discussion I am focusing on now. [/quote]Parents also human. How do you know is not a threat to other children who is not theirs? There are many criminal who themselves are parents too. So many news of father molesting their daughter how we ensure these parents do not do the same to his child friends?

[Amos2010]

vivi33:

Parents also human. How do you know is not a threat to other children who is not theirs? There are many criminal who themselves are parents too. So many news of father molesting their daughter how we ensure these parents do not do the same to his child friends?

Sometime ago, there was a female teacher had sex with student. Would you consider teacher a security threat to school ?

:stupid:

So I will just simply answer you that - no, I do not consider parent as security threats to school.

[BeautifulLife]

Amos2010,


Eh, no matter what type of registration process the school takes up, it doesn’t solve your ‘problem’ of staying in the school for more than an hour isn’t it? Pardon me, I may have misunderstood you, but if your said school agrees to your suggestion, do you mean you will then be allowed to stay in the school so often?

The school doesn’t just teach our kids academic stuff. It also helps to nurture their independence and how to mingle with classmates from all types of family backgrounds. If I were a kid, I would beg to ‘break-free’ from my parents for the few hours that I am in school.

Pack lunch for your kid by all means, and let him take his lunch with his friends. I always remind my ds that I trust that he is a big boy now and he should be able to at least take care of himself by not going hungry during recess. You’d be surprised that our kids are more capable than we think.

What would a school be if there are many parents hanging around the premise during school hours? My ds’s school even strongly discourages parents to deliver to their kids books that they have forgotten to bring.
Harsh you may think. but on the other side of the coin, isn’t it good that our kids learn to bear consequences?
JMHO:)

[corneyAmber]

BeautifulLife:

My ds's school even strongly discourages parents to deliver to their kids books that they have forgotten to bring.

JMHO:)

Yes I remember reading this in the parents' handbook and the FT also reminded parents that NOTHING should be left for the children at the GO if they fail to bring it to school. They would not allow the kid to pick it up either. I thought that was an excellent rule for all, parent, teacher and child...win-win-win.

[Amos2010]

BeautifulLife:

Amos2010,


Eh, no matter what type of registration process the school takes up, it doesn't solve your 'problem' of staying in the school for more than an hour isn't it?

Thank you. I know your suggestion meant well.

Those are different sets of issues.

One, registration process must distinguish parents and non-parent visitors. This is to enhance the security. Because right now, they (or at least my school) don't check IC. This is independent of whether they allow parent to stay long or not. That is my point.

Second to this, I argue that parents are not security threats to school. I would imagine most of you should agree with me. Otherwise, you and me are all become security threats. That is nonsense. If this (that parent is not a security threat to school) is accepted by all (MOE, school, parents ourselves) then for whatever reason they do not allow us to stay (long) or enter the school, they must give the CORRECT reason, don't just anyhow cite 'security' as the reason. I don't buy it.

Then, thirdly, if they cannot find the right reason for refusing parent to stay (long) or enter the school - then they have to let us so ! If they can convince me of the valid reason or concern, I would accept it. However, I believe at this stage, the reason or concern they can come up with, can be mitigated, i.e., some adjustment can be made to accomodate. What are the adjustment, I don't know yet. Both the school and the parents got to discuss. Like I said before, parents to go school IS with VALID reason. So, we have to work out some arrangement.

By setting a strict rule and start getting admin/operation staff to chase me off, it is going to upset me.

On top of these, yes I agree with you, and KS2ME and others who very thoughtfully said we should let the children learn on their own. True. While that is true, like we have other parent who is pregnant...why they cannot allow ?

I hope people can see this thought process.

Thank you very much !

[corneyAmber]

Not meant to offend anyone with this post, but these are my thoughts on the topic and it will be my first and last post in this thread.


In my opinion, if I decide to send my child to a particular school, I am obligated from the day I register my child there, to obey the rules, regulations and policies set up by the school to protect the very people whom we love dearly, non other than our own kids who are students of the school. If I am not happy with the rules set up by the school after my kid has been enrolled, then by all means withdraw the child from that school after knowing the rules, no point whining and expecting the school to make an exception just for me.

Rules are rules for everyone, not with the exception of. The MOE has empowered the school Principal and his/her staff to decide what they deem best for their school and their students, so it is pointless bringing up school rules to the MOE unless it is a matter of life and death issue, which, in my opinion, will never happen. If that happens, then the Principal is not fit for the job if MOE has to step in over some rules that the Principal made.

Parents are visitors to the school. Period. No exception. As visitors to the school, we have to obey rules set up by the school for visitors, no questions about that. Rules are rules, not meant for me to question the rationale behind it, especially if it concerns the safety of my child in the school. I may or may not agree with certain rules of the school, but it is not for me to question why certain rules are meant the way they are meant to be.

Also no point asking around and comparing what other schools are doing with regard to their policy on visitors lingering on in the school premises for a ‘so-called’ personal valid reason as every school has its own different set of rules, unless of course, one is willing to move his/her child to that particular school which has rules that agree with the particular parent’s point of view of lingering on in the school premises for a ‘so-called’ valid reason in the opinion of the parent. Imagine what sort of chaos there would be in schools if every parent insist on lingering on in the school premises for a ‘so-called’ personal valid reason.

I have a friend whose child is handicapped and needs to move around in a wheelchair and needs her help to buy food for him from the school canteen during recess and lunch and if there is anyone with a ‘valid’ reason to stay behind, it has to be her, but she has not overstayed her welcome in the school all these years. She sends her child to school, drops him off at the gates and let the school take over from there. She will drop by again during recess and later at lunch time if he has to stay back for activities, other than that, she has no time to linger on in the school premises and has never come across as being a nuisance or a security threat to the school. Does not staying around in the school from morning assembly to recess to lunch time equate to not loving her son? I don’t think so, but more so due to the fact that she respects the school’s rules for visitors and trusting the fact that the school knows what is best for her handicapped child and his other able bodied schoolmates.

I have spoken my piece. Hope I didn’t offend anyone, just my personal thoughts on this issue. Have a great weekend.