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When we say school, we know that it comes only next to our home. In fact, schools are our second home. As children, we spend an adequate amount of our day at school. The school on the other hand is responsible for everything the student does while in the premises. This responsibility also extends to events like sports, picnics and so on. Schools have the responsibility of keeping parents of  informed about each of these events and activities.

Unfortunately, the picnic organised for students by the sixth grade teacher at Harlem school was not informed to the parents. Picnics are something that every child looks up to. They wait the whole year round to have fun at the school picnics. The choice of location is of utmost importance and teachers have the responsibility of choosing places that are safe and secure for students. Schools and teachers are aware that they require permission and consent from the parents when it comes to organizing picnics and choosing the location of the picnics.

But this was no so in the case of Harlem School when the sixth grade class was taken to Long Beach at Long Island. A 12-year old girl drowned at the beach and the teacher was fired because it was found that she did not think it necessary to get a parental consent. When investigated, it was found that the whole planning bit was awry and the school was at fault.

There was never any parent consent form or letter signed as a consent from the parents. Also the teacher who planned the trip knew that swimming was restricted and closed for the day and there were no lifeguards available. In addition to this, the teacher was also aware that many students from her class, along with the girl who drowned, could not swim.

The entire school and the parents of the children attending this school are shell shocked. No one expected such a thing to happen. However, this clearly indicates how irresponsible the school’s planning department is. The teachers and the authorities in school should have taken an interest in finding out whether the location of the picnic was safe or not for small children.

They should have taken the trouble to find out whether there are lifeguards around or not before allowing students into the pool. But the trip would have just been another irresponsible act by the school and would have just passed unnoticed had not the sixth grader drowned.

When the teacher was quizzed as to why she did not informed the parents for this picnic, she said that she did not think it was required as she had assumed there would lifeguards around. This teacher was of course fired. Also the vice principal who knew about the trip and had given permission for the same, will be removed from the administration board.

Although the teacher had obtained permission from the principal, she never thought it important to distribute permission slips to the students. One simple question: when the teachers and the school authorities know that a lot of responsibilities rest on their shoulders as they deal with kids, are they allowed to take such rash decisions? Are they allowed to act in such an irrational manner? Such incidents only make it clear that our kids are not even safe at schools.