Was The Head Teacher Correct?

[lyall]

Just been watching my local news; there is a school in Digby near Sleaford where the Head asked the children to take their poppies off for their school photographs, citing that it would date the pictures in years to come. The head has now backed down apparently after complaints from parents. Did they have the right to do this for what I see as such a trivial reason? I have numerous pictures of my nephews at school with paper daffodils on as the photos were taken on or near Saint Davis Day!

[Sipowicz]

Poppycock!

[rockyracoon]

How does it date the picture I wonder? Seems a silly reason to be asked to take them off.

[Peter Pedant]

er and what is wrong with internally dating a photo ?

are you siding with the parents or the head - I agree with the parents - stand up and be counted....

[jno]

the things parents get upset about these days... I suppose they'll all be wanting to take their kids on holiday in term time and clogging up the streets with their Range Rovers on the school run mornings and afternoons, but little Montmorency mustn't be asked to remove his poppy

/stereotypes

[gness]

I can date my school photos and those of my children and grandchildren by hairstyles, clothes etc....a poppy on its own would give no clue at all.

[jno]

sometime from, er, October 11 to November 11, gness?

[jno]

do kids not hold up a placard saying Digby Special School Third Year 2013 any more?

[lyall]

Oh im with the parents 110%

[Zeuhl]

were these their individual photos?

had the kids been sent in by mum or dad all smart and neat looking and then spoilt it with a wonky poppy?

It is a record of a year in their life - it seems odd if all the kids' pictures are defined by one identical detail that is by its nature a transitory (though deeply meaningful) decoration

[pixie373]

I had to ask the school to be careful, when my son and all his friends had about 5 poppy pins each and were poking each other with them at the school gates. They are 9/10. He has scratches up his arms, but nothing major. Thought it was quite strange with all the usual h&s dramas.

[Zeuhl]

Thinking about it...

if someone came into my office now and said 'we need a new picture of you for the website or press release or something'

I would (apart from the fact I'm not wearing a suit today) remove the poppy from my lapel.

Not because i don't want to be seen with it.

Because I wouldn't want someone looking at it in months to come going 'Ho Ho you had that taken in November didn't you?'

[gness]

How would it date the year if that's what the head was on about...if it's the month...does it matter? I organised hundreds of kids for school photos. I was more concerned about snotty noses than poppies and the time of year.

[gness]

I must be missing something about having a photo taken in November.

[Zeuhl]

/I must be missing something about having a photo taken in November. /

my point is that it's not necessarily what we would want the most significant aspect of the picture to be in months or years to come

[sherrardk]

Maybe some of the kids didn't have poppies so they wouldn't all look uniform?

[aelmpvw]

i'm going through my photo albums as we speak and removing any pics that may or may not have been taken in November

[jno]

I always get a bit irritated about these stories in which parents rise in protest and order teachers to reverse their decisions, often over trivia. Who'd be a teacher these days?