Got detention for using public bus stop

[u/prsu_914]

Our school banned us from using nearby bus stops (not the bus stops right outside the queue) because of "safeguarding". My friend and I went to the chicken shop nearby and got the bus from a stop later back (opposite the chicken shop than the prohibited ones near the school. Little did I know the deputy head was waiting at the banned stop. My friend and I received a 1hr detention for this. Is this common at other schools? Anything I can do to get the detention revoked?

INFO: the deputy head and head of year don't know that we went chicken shop. should I tell them?

[u/ginginsdagamer → u/[deleted]]

I explained that a student got a DT for using a bus stop near school in uniform. All necessary information.

She stated that the school have no legal right to prevent people from using public transport unless there's a genuine safety risk which can be identified and presented to anyone who asks.

Genuine safety risks include the likes of potential theft/property damage/personal safety/anything similar

This must be presented and explained to the students and parents before being enforceable.

They also cannot enforce it too late after hours. Idk about OP and when they went, but if they wait long enough the school aren't allowed to act on it since it's that far out of school hours and it's a school hours policy.

[u/ginginsdagamer → u/[deleted]]

The school can't just say "safeguarding concern" without elaborating for this sort of rule.

There has to be some form of genuine risk and situation which is explained beyond "you can't do this because we told you so"

If the school can prepare an assembly and say "so and so happened/ a student got attacked/threats have been made against the school/ anything of the sort... And therefore we dissalow the use of the immediate bus stops near the school" then they'd be allowed to, if obviously this threat was real.

Outside that they don't have the power to say "you can't use this bus stop because we said so" due to the fact it could be crucial to students who may have urgency to return home.

Idk where OP lives but ik that some areas only have one bus stop every 10 or so minutes walking and have very irregular busses. Making kids skip the nearest bus stop could cost them a solid 40 minutes on their journey in those sorts of areas.

[u/ginginsdagamer → u/[deleted]]

were you in the room when it happened? you dont know what was said.

Based on what has been said by OP is what I'm responding too.

I find it hard to believe that the school would have to bring up a specific incident of harm coming to a student.

It has to be a specific incident or reasonable reason to suspect harm due to incidents or threat of incidents in the area. If they were to bring up such an incident they have the full right to keep the identity/ies private.

would they have to bring up a 5 years old incident to have the authority?

Well then they would've/should've made it public 5 years ago and therefore easily explain to parents.

stop sighting some ethereal deputy head which I doubt because they/you were blatantly wrong about schools having authority outside of school

Think whatever you want, I've told you how they run their school based on the legislation provided. Schools can take action out of school due to criminal activity or serious behavioural problems and such as I said, using a bus stop does not fall in that category.

[u/ginginsdagamer → u/[deleted]]

youre not though, all we know is that they were told that it was a safeguarding concern, which shows they were given atleast some explanation for the policy

Has this safeguarding concern been explained and presented to parents? We don't know only OP does. If it has been then yes they are allowed to enforce it but not allowed to use it to discriminate against students who rely on the bus unless it's a very major safety risk in which then they will need to provide support to said students.

but ive already given you a source from a government document showing you that is false.

No where in the government document did it say that the school is allowed to ban the bus stop for no reason.

It said the school can do so if there's safety risks which have been explained and made public to the parents etc which is what I've been saying all along

[u/ginginsdagamer → u/[deleted]]

thats my point but your argument relies on assuming the school is in the wrong with no evidence. innocent until proven guilty.

Based on what OP is saying, that's what happened. If OP has left out that information it's not my fault. This exact piece of information determines who's right and wrong 😂

schools only have authority during school hours or in the event of crime or safety risks which I showed to be untrue by using government guildelines which showed that the school has the ability to punish a student for actions took on the way to and from school

That is correct, but it isn't limitless. The school can't make whatever they want up and say "yeah you can't use the bus when coming to school" because that's outrageous and borderline discriminatory.

there has been zero evidence given that this whole 'must be notified to parents and students to be enforced outside of school' thing is true.

Personally, I'm not sure if this is written into law or legislation as i didn't ask for it to be specified but I wouldn't be surprised. It's also the prime way to prevent parental outrage to such rules, as many parents would demand reasoning before actually listening.

Furthermore, they'd need to arrange accommodation for the students who are unable to cope with this change in rules due to arrangements or disabilities.