Almunecar International School - Disgraceful

That is absolutely horrifying. I cannot believe the school are still permitting this person to work with children - can you do something with the other parents, to raise awareness, or boycott the comedor, or something, until they are removed from the premises..? The Head sounds totally pathetic, can you go over her head to the owners or governors - they are taking an unbelievable risk allowing someone like this to continue in their employment.

I wish you every success in tackling this awful situation, and I hope your son is OK soon. It's a huge betrayal of the trust we place in the institutions we allow to care for our children,

please let us know what outcome you achieve,

Maya

jasonc see you post in few outher forum aswell best off luck with it
jurdy

Thanks for the support guys,

As posted on some other forums, I am using the forums to inform parents about what is going on at this school

My son reacted to a film called "Taken" which is about a daughter being kidnapped, sold, drugged, raped, and then the father getting his own justice with graphic electricution. This was an "extended harder cut" UK pirate DVD version of the film. He told us in details what he'd seen, and if I wrote down what my 11 YEAR OLD SON told me, some forum members here would be physically sick!

After questioning sensitvely further, we found out that DVD's (including Gladiator and Saw) had been shown both morning and night for months by a certain bus monitor.

For some reason the school are happy with a two week suspension and a change of job for the monitor to dinner duties. Meanwhile I've been advised to keep my son away for his own safety, so he has missed his SATS, and has had to undergo Child Pyschological tests to show in court.

I haven't been in this area long, so don't actually know a lot of other parents.

I don't think a lot of other parents are actually aware that this event happened. After all if my son hadn't complained about this DVD, they would still be watching them to this day. My son was watching all kinds of stuff on the bus before this DVD affected him, and I wasn't aware.

I did leave this with the school to sort out, however this has been one big cover up by the headteacher. The year 9 boy who brought in this particular DVD in question actually wrote an apology to all the parents and children on that bus, but the headteacher chose not to distribute it.

As for the Governers, I'm not even sure they are aware either, I've asked numerous times for a meeting but the headteacher has never come forth with one. The headteacher actually joked that i'd be wasting my time because they don't speak english!

I think the school was banking on the fact I was the only parent who complained, and that I would go away, in fact the headteacher did remark "If you don't agree with our ways, I find it puzzling why you would want to keep your child here"

I actually havent taken my son out of the school for good yet. Having paid this years fees, and next years registration fees, we were only advised to keep him away after the monitor firstly approached him, and then returned to the school.

I even had to write to the school to get my sons report posted to us!

I really hope this isnt indicative of all International schools in Spain

jasonc

The school is registered with the National Association of British Schools in Spain Jason, I suggest you alert them immediately if you havent already. http://www.nabss.org/en/schools.php

I don't believe for a moment this is a typical experience of an International school in Spain, our own is very different and highly positive - I really do wish you every success in resolving this,

Maya

hi maya

I wrote to the NABSS committee a few weeks ago, explaining the situation and asking for their help and direction, i enclose the reply from the NABSS president - Christina O'Dowd:

Dear Sir

I acknowledge receipt of your email and I apologise for my delay in getting back to you. We discussed your complaint about Almu?ecar International School with the NABSS legal advisors; we have been advised by them that the steps taken by the school were appropriate and within legal procedure:

? The monitor was suspended without pay immediately.
? She has now been moved to another position within the school as a
dining room assistant.

I am confident the matter has now been acceptably resolved.

Yours sincerely,

Christina P. O?Dowd
President of NABSS


The monitor wasn't suspended imediately, she was allowed to stay on school premises and discuss her opinions of the DVD's with the children, and then ask them which child had complained. Her suspension was only 2 weeks.

This stinks, and according to my Solicitor is one big BLUFF. This monitor should be nowhere near kids.

I couldn't make stuff this up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's absolutely staggering, that they don't think this person should be removed from anywhere near young people immediately! How on earth can they regard this situation as 'acceptably resolved'?

I have to say that has really shaken my confidence in and opinion of NABSS - and I am very glad you have the support of a solicitor who clearly sees sense.

Please let us know how this all turns out, if you manage to obtain a resolution that most sane parents would regard as 'acceptable'... and meantime I hope the summer break helps your son recover from this horrible experience,

take care

Maya

Hi Jason,
I do not personally have kids (parter has 3 grown ups)...
I would be as horrified as you in this instance.
I hope you are able to get some support from the other parents.
Do they have a PTA type assocciation?
(A friend locally - acutally German - is President of the local schools parent committee (Spanish state school). I know she would have a lot to say/sway if something like this happened on her watch!).

I hope you get the matter resolved to your satisfaction (i.e this monitor permanantly dismissed) -
but as a word of caution; I hope your case is heard and dealt with fairly - but do not be disappointed when you get
stonewalled all along the way.
Is the local press interested? (Even The Sur in Engilsh).
(Although sadly I have found the press lacking in conviction - as I myself tried to get an article on the abonimation that is the
motor insurance cover/claims process here).

I wish you luck - and stick to your guns.

(Is there a women's association locally? I know they will be interested to help as they are a great place of support/information).
What do the local Consumer office advise? (They are a free service in every town where they give impartial advice - sort of like UK's CAB).

All the best,
SJ

ps - at the very worst - do some digging on this person who should definately NOT be working with children!

I would go down the Media Route..

Get the papers involved, especially the English ones in your area !!

Maybe:

http://www.surinenglish.com/
http://mirzania.wordpress.com/

DSB.

And to top it all .....My sons report arrived in the post, along with a letter from the Headteacher, stating that they won't be offering my Son a place next year!

BEWARE - you send your kid to this school, and a member of staff does something highly illegal to your kid, they keep the member of staff and kick out the kid

I'm going to sing like a canary to the press when this gets to court

Thanks again for all your support and pm's. I'll keep you all posted.

I've a client who is a languages teacher and was thinking of applying to this school. Needless to say, she's crossed it off her shortlist after reading about this and was utterly disgusted to hear about your circumstances.

Hope you get the justice your family deserves jasonc. It's absolutely shambolic how this school have dealt with matters.

Not to undermine your complaint, but isn't "Inbetweeners" a teenage comedy show that's shown on network television in the UK?

The three movie titles are obviously inappropriate for children. But they are all mainstream titles, that most children over age 12-ish would have found some way to see, or see something similar.. I'm guessing there must be a range of both young and older children on the bus? There must have been older students on the bus who enjoyed the movies, else there would be no reason for the driver to play them. Unless she was just demented.

It is unprofessional for sure, but I do not believe it is technically "illegal" to show a child an R-rated movie in Spain or in most countries. Gladiator and Saw are both rated R. Taken is rated "PG-13", although perhaps the version that was shown was more like "R." In the U.S. (where I live) an 11-year-old child could easily access any of these films at the library (of course that would be at their own will..)

Anyway, on one hand I can understand why you're upset. But, on the other hand, the movies aren't being played anymore. This woman has been embarrassed, lost two weeks of pay, and was put in another job where she has no access to a DVD player. It seems like you just want to get her fired to seek some kind of revenge.

I think you missed the part above where I stated:

My son reacted to a film called ?Taken? which is about a daughter being kidnapped, sold, drugged, raped, and then the father getting his own justice with graphic electricution. This was an ?extended harder cut? UK pirate DVD version of the film. He told us in details what he?d seen, and if I wrote down what my 11 YEAR OLD SON told me, some forum members here would be physically sick!

This was an ?extended harder cut? UK pirate DVD version of the film - That is: it was a blank, copied DVD with nothing written on it, shown to children as young as 4. Pirate "harder cut" films such as this had been shown for months.

It was not the legal PG-13 version as you have assumed. Nor was it the "In-Betweeners" (Teenage comedy show on TV) that you have assumed either, rather a totally unconnected uncut film.

How exactly do you know that this woman has been embarrassed? Do you know her, or the school? If you read above I stated that this woman was allowed to stay on school premises before her suspension, and express her opinion to the kids that there was nothing wrong with the DVD's. She actually believes she didd nothing wrong.

It is very worrying that people like you think the Monitor should still be working with kids, and you think that parents like me are just hell bent on some sort of revenge because I have nothing better to do. Some of us just don't want people like that anywhere near our kids, believe it or not.

Thanks for your comments all the same. Perhaps you may have thought differently, if it was your child, if you have one, that was subjected to this and then the nightmares and child pychologist tests to show in court that followed. I wouldn't wish this on you or any other parent.





> Not to undermine your complaint, but isn't "Inbetweeners" a teenage comedy show that's shown on network television in the UK?

The three movie titles are obviously inappropriate for children. But they are all mainstream titles, that most children over age 12-ish would have found some way to see, or see something similar.. I'm guessing there must be a range of both young and older children on the bus? There must have been older students on the bus who enjoyed the movies, else there would be no reason for the driver to play them. Unless she was just demented.

It is unprofessional for sure, but I do not believe it is technically "illegal" to show a child an R-rated movie in Spain or in most countries. Gladiator and Saw are both rated R. Taken is rated "PG-13", although perhaps the version that was shown was more like "R." In the U.S. (where I live) an 11-year-old child could easily access any of these films at the library (of course that would be at their own will..)

Anyway, on one hand I can understand why you're upset. But, on the other hand, the movies aren't being played anymore. This woman has been embarrassed, lost two weeks of pay, and was put in another job where she has no access to a DVD player. It seems like you just want to get her fired to seek some kind of revenge.

I just think it's unlikely that there's this sadistic bus driver out there, trying to ruin children's lives. It sounds like she just made a stupid mistake by assuming kids would enjoy these films. She clearly had a far too liberal idea of what's suitable for children to watch. She was wrong, and she was prevented from continuing what she was doing. And that's all good. I'm sorry that this had such an adverse impact on your son. But I just can't believe that this woman would have intended that, and I think it's kind of cruel to wish hardship on her. Losing two weeks of pay is a big deal. Having to switch jobs, and have all your co-workers know why, is embarrassing. I think it's possible to teach someone a lesson without throwing them out on the street. Maybe I am just too forgiving..

Yes, pirating a movie is illegal no matter the rating, but showing an R-rated movie to children is not illegal (especially in Spain, where they're especially anti-censorship.) It's just unprofessional. You wouldn't have legal grounds to sue her for pirating, the film companies would have to do that. Even the most "uncut" version of a Hollywood movie is not going to be so explicit that it becomes illegal for a minor to see. They're usually just longer and more drawn out. You must not have seen an R-rated movie in awhile if you are shocked to find death or rape in a film.

In the case of Taken, I just did a Google search on it. And it seems the "Extended Harder Cut" is the "European" version of the film. In the U.S. it had been edited to get a "PG-13" rating. The European/Extended cut version would be more like an "R-rated" movie, although it was never rated in the U.S. since it was never in theaters. Here's a review of the extended cut: http://www.elasticpop.com/2009/05/blu-ray-review-taken-extended/
The term "Harder Cut" was a marketing term specifically used for this film by the production company for a re-release of the extended version of the Taken DVD. It's not a term that I've seen often used to characterize exteded cuts of other films.

The scenes you describe also seem to exist in the PG-13 version of the film. You can find a parents guide here:
Taken, PG 13: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/parentalguide

And, here parents guides for the other two films:
Gladiator, R: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/parentalguide
Saw, R: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387564/parentalguide (I think Saw, by far, is the most offensive of these three movies..)

Like I said, I completely agree that it's inappropriate to show any of these movies to other peoples' children. Parents should make decisions about what their kids can and cannot watch. It was totally out of line. I would be really pissed off if it were my son, no question. And maybe her punishment was a little lenient... maybe she should have been suspended a little longer. But I just think there isn't really that much that can be done at this point. The movies have been stopped. What else are you worried about? Do you really think she would make another mistake like that after all this? Maybe she will start slipping kids porn with their lunches...

No, I don't know this woman, or much about the school. But neither do most of the people on here who are alongside you holding stakes and crying "off with her head." So, I think my point of view is equally valid. I'm just going based on the information provided like everyone else.

Also, there is no such film called "Inbetweeners" as far as I could find via Google (Although there are a couple little-known movies called "Inbetween.") Out of curiosity, I'd be interested in a link to a review of the movie or something.

---
P.S.: I totally missed this line initially.. "The year 9 boy who brought in this particular DVD in question actually wrote an apology to all the parents and children on that bus, but the headteacher chose not to distribute it."
Wait -- so they weren't even the bus drivers movies? If that's the case then she definitely didn't do anything illegal. Sounds like all she did was provide a DVD player and television for the childrens' use.
Also, if the note wasn't distributed, how do you know that such a note existed?
Lastly, you say that you're the only parent who has complained. Have you tried contacting any of the other parents?

The Bus Monitor in question (not the driver) who is responsible for the well being of kids whilst on a bus from school to drop off point, accepted an uncut pirate "extended harder cut" DVD from a year 9 boy, and showed it to children from the age of 4 onwards. She was told by the boy what the film was, and she said that she had already seen the film. She took the unmarked DVD, and placed it in the DVD player and pressed play and she made the decision to show that material to under age kids. There wasn't a single child on the bus that was legally old enough to watch that film. She also made the decision not to turn the DVD off at any point, the film was watched in its entirity over a few days. Perhaps she likes watching the reaction of kids when she exposes them to graphic material, as this had been going on for months with various uncut films unsuitable for minors.

Yet you believe that this monitor didn't do anything illegal because it wasn't her DVD, she just provided a DVD player and a TV.

This film in question was the "harder extended cut" copy of the UK film that carries an "18" certificate. It is illegal for a person under 18 years of age to watch. I cannot reword that for you in any other way.

You then wrote:

"Even the most ?uncut? version of a Hollywood movie is not going to be so explicit that it becomes illegal for a minor to see."

If that is true then I don't know why the world bothers with film classification.

If, however, thats just your opinion, then you do have a right to air your opinion on a public forum.

I have the entire Saw collection.

I wouldn`t be happy my kids seeing it until they were past 18yrs old.

We put our children in Public Spanish Schools system, had a bad experience with the first school though, to long and boring to repeat here, but we moved her and that school was amazing.

From Spanish friends there is a problem with certain private schools, the International One near us although run by Spanish has a bad reputation for elitism, one child suffered was treated as a bad achiever, then they noticed she had a form of autism.

I would agree that a complaint to the relevant authorities in the UK though.

Although i fear the school will just distance themselves from the minder, explain there was an investigation and sack the person involved.

Might be worth finding out from the UK if that person has a history of child complaints in the UK. There have been rumours that people who like children a bit to much have moved to expat regions of Spain.

I would certainly want clarification/evidenance that everybody in that place had both Spanish and UK CRB checks up to date.

Film ratings are guidelines meant to make it easier for parents to decide what they should allow their children to watch, using their own judgment. But they have no legal bearing. Unless, of course it's something that is classified as porn, which would be illegal to show to children in most developed countries. None of these movies are considered pornographic.

I said she "definitely didn't do anything illegal" because the only action that was possibly illegal was the act of downloading the movie for free without paying for it. But she did not own the DVD, therefore it was not her who did the illegal downloading.

Just because her actions were not illegal doesn't mean they weren't wrong. But you would expect the level of punishment to be harsher if a school employee committeed a crime. She did not, and you're making it sound like she did.

Although, I guess I shoudln't be so absolute about it. If you have a good lawyer, he might be able to find some way to say she violated some law (who knows with what degree of success..). The act of showing a violent movie to childen itself is not illegal, though.

----
Some info about the film rating system:
http://www.mpaa.org/FilmRatings.asp
http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_Purpose.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_rating_system#Effects_of_ratings

While most theaters won't let those under 18 into R rated movies, that policy is completely voluntary. From the Wikipedia article: "Theater owners could still allow anyone into R-rated films without being accompanied by an adult since the rating system is technically voluntary and in most jurisdictions does not have the force of law behind it. Attendance at films with strong enough content to merit an NC-17 rating could be restricted by law because of the possibility of being considered indecent."

you get it on the copyright laws , brodcasting in public area with out a payying roaltys rights .... and Film ratings are guidelines is law in EU zone ... and show to Miners is big no no ....

I really can't comment on what your laws are in the USA. From reading what you have written, I think you are assuming that the DVD in question, that is certified "18" is the same as your R-rated. I would believe it is more like your NC-17. Your NC-17 at a cinema/theatre means no children allowed, as does an "18"

If that Bus Monitor worked in a cinema/theatre and knowingly allowed children as young as 4 to watch an "18" film, I know for a fact she wouldnt be moved to another job in the same cinema to sell ice creams, however hurt or embarrassed she might be at "her mistake"

Things are obviously a bit different over here, where minors are concerned.

The British and Spanish "18" rating and the American "R"/Restricted rating seem the same to me. They both classify movies as unsuitable for those under age 18. Although the standards in the U.S., U.K. and Spain could vary based on what's deemed acceptable because of different moral attitudes. "R" is most "mature" rating you would find on any Hollywood movie in the U.S. NC-17 ratings are reserved for pornography or other really heinous stuff, therefore NC-17 would be equivelant to an R-18 rating in the UK, or a Pel?cula X rating in Spain. Yes, it would definitely be illegal to show one of those movies to a child, because of the child protection laws that were passed in the 70s in both the US and Europe.

I have been searching around on the Internet and have been unable to find information on any law that prohibits an adult from showing an 18 or R rated movie to a child in Spain, the U.S., or even in the U.K. I'd be interested in some information about the specific laws you say exist and what the penalties are. I completely agree with you all that it is morally wrong, I am just not convinced that it is illegal because of Western values such as freedom of information and expression.

According to this Wikipedia article (which, admittedly, could be totally inaccurate..)" Attitudes toward film censorship in Spain are unusual due to the adverse affect of dictatorship and heavy censorship until 1975 under General Francisco Franco. Therefore, most Spanish citizens are against censorship of any kind and prefer personal responsibility and liberalism, thus very few people show serious respect for certification of films. For example, cinemas in Spain never ask for identification." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_ratings#Spain

Also, jurdy, the video wasn't shown in "public" so the royalty thing wouldn't apply in this case.

Interesting thing I came across on the BBFC Web site in the FAQS. (Although, this is in the UK, so doesn't apply.. but it's only a guideline anyway)

Can a school show videos of a particular category to children below that age?
The Board would not recommend it as the classification decision indicates that the film contains material which is unsuitable for children younger than the age specified. But there are some marginal cases where it might be considered appropriate to show a film in an educational context where it is properly discussed and presented. Clearly schools should seek parental consent prior to the screening. It is also important to make sure that any children watching are not likely to suffer any ill effects as a result of seeing the film. We would also recommend obtaining the approval of the Headteacher and Governors.

Anyway, "not recommended" but apparently not illegal..

Got that from here: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/faq/index.php

It doesn't really matter what I say, you are going to Google it and quote me something from the internet.

Like I said earlier, the case is going to court, and I'll keep everyone updated on this highly debated topic.

Thanks for your comments Sally, this has brought this thread and this controversail issue back into public awareness on this and other forums, which is exactly what i wanted.

Ps. Just to let you know, the monitor also broke a school rule - no DVD's to be shown on any buses, a rule that has stood for the past two years

Hi JasonC,
what an awful outcome - that your son is to be banned as you stood up for his protection! (But sadly, it does not surprize me).
Possibly approach one of the 'Ascociaciones de Mujeres' in your area. (Your wife may have to go along as the representative of the family?)... I know they are very supportive to women, mothers etc - and might be able to help in protecting family members. I do not know about Social Workers here - but I am sure the local health centre might know? (I did go to my local social worker - but it was more about what my access rights to health care where and not other issues. But possibly worth a try?).

Let us know if you have any success with the local press.
Are there child agencies here like the UK? (Child line and the like?)

I am guessing a lawyer would be expensive - and everyone will stick to the decisions already made!
So maybe keep your money but keep posting on forums like this/letting everyone know!

Sad situation.
:(

You may find this helpful, its a new resource for immigrants in the Junta de Andalucia region.

http://www.riec.es/

When I first saw your comments about this school, I was shocked! I felt very sorry for you and your son. Now I have read it all again (also on other sites on the internet), and spoken to a few people connected to the school, and I have a few comments (which you might not like)

My daugther attends this school, and we are very happy with it. She has learned and is still learning a lot. The school has created a good foundation for learning in both English and Spanish with many different nationalities. And most important, the social networking among the children at all ages at the school is gift for a foreign child (such as mine). Therefore I fell very safe in recommmending this school to others.

I know that it is not okay to show these kind of movies to children! And the monitor should not have accepted these movies! Mistakes happen every where and every day - this is life. The monitor was taken off duties on the bus, and no more movies are shown. I know this lady, and to say that she is not fit to handle children is a very big mistake! She is wonderful. Do you know her or just seen her on the bus?? My feeling about this matter is (and this is just based on your messages on varios forums, nothing else) that you complained and the reply was not strong enough for you, and therefore you felt offended. Could this be it? I might be mistaking....

I'm glad your daughter is happy and doing well at this school, as a parent I wouldn't wish otherwise on any child. Perhaps you'd have felt differently if your daughter was on the Nerja bus. Was your daughter on that bus?

The school made the decision to take the bus monitor off bus duties, and now no more pirate uncut films are shown, and the Monitor still supervises and has close contact with kids as a "dinner monitor" every day. Thats the schools choice

To class the showing of many uncut pirate movies by the Monitor to children as young as four, over a period of many months, before and after school, is hardly a mistake that can happen every day in life. If your daughter (whatever age she may be) had been subjected to all this, and then conveniently "not offered a place" for the next academic year after you had complained, would you still think the school was great and the monitor wonderful?

Perhaps you can let the forum know of some of the comments made from people you spoke to that are "connected" to the school

As part of the court process, I had to get a Child Pyschologist report. The first Child Pyschologist I approached couldn't carry out the report because of a conflict of interest. WHY? Because she'd already had a bust up with the same school in the past and removed her own kids!

Lets hope nothing happens to your daughter in the future after you've been warned.

Your latest post reminds me of a question I asked you previously that you never answered:

Have you contacted the parents of any of the other children on the bus? What do they think about the situation? Are you the only one on this crusade?

please becareful with post as hear the word " court " ARE I HAVE TO CLOSED IT DOWN , i dont want to please Becareful
jurdy

Well thanks for the warning... I will keep my happy daughter at the school and hope that you and our son will find a new school, which is good for you both!

My daughter was on that bus and she has never mentioned anything nor has she been affected by the movies on the bus. I have spoken to other children on this bus, and they dont seem to be affected either. The concern is more that something else has happened between you and the school - could that be? I feel that you have taken a small thing (movies on the bus), and thereby made the school look really bad all over - which is not fair! The school is providing a first class education and mistakes happens, but this dosent make the school bad all over.

Crusade is maybe a good word for this thing that you are doing - your complaint was given to the board and the monitor was taken of duties as per their decision - what else is there to do? What do you want from this courtcase? A place at the school, closing of the school or money? Please let me know...

Did you write this in the staff room on your lunch break between lessons!?

well what can I say? You don't believe that anybody can be happy with the school - other then those who work at the school? Please don't make me answer that!

I am still waiting for your reply on; is there something else between you and the school (other then the movies on the bus)? And what do you want from the court case?

Regards A HAPPY PARENT

this post will be locked down becareful please

jurdy

"well what can I say? You don't believe that anybody can be happy with the school - other then those who work at the school? Please don't make me answer that! "

I never said anything like that

"I am still waiting for your reply on; is there something else between you and the school (other then the movies on the bus)?"

Quite clever to detract from the main issue, and imply that I have some other different problem with your school. No I don't.

"And what do you want from the court case?"

When this incident happened, I reported it to your school and to the Police. It is the Police who have chosen for this to go to court, just like they would with a burglary, vandalism whatever. If this was a "mistake" as you keep saying, the Police would have told me to go away. This isnt about what I want, its about what the Police want, go and talk to them if you want to know where this is going. I can PM you the case number which your school has anyway.

Jurdy has politely warned us twice that this post will be locked if we continue to talk about court. Maybe thats what you want?

> Jurdy has politely warned us twice that this post will be locked if we continue to talk about court. Maybe thats what you want?


Thank you from all of us. :) Good luck folks.

Well what can I say, other than I'm sorry to hear about your son.

You have heard from a number of people, I'm a student at the International school in Almunecar, and I can only tell you that I'm very pleased with just about everything in the school. With regard to your thread, you mentioned that it was the police taking actions against the school. What are they really expecting to get as an outcome of this?

Quite honestly, I know very well which member of staff you are referring too. And I can confidently say that I completely disagree with the idea that seems to be put forward, about her not being capable of handling children, most of the young children loved her because she sang with them and did clapping games. I am not entirely sure you're blaming the right person, yes she was the bus monitor and gave permission to those films. But have you spoken to any of the year 10s and up about the films? Most of them frequently came in, complaining about her switching off the films because she thought they were unsuitable for the younger children when she realised what was on them. These particular year groups, I find are very argumentative and they clearly chose which films they wanted to bring in, yes 15 years and older, I think are quite capable of thinking to themselves ?maybe I should consider that there?s younger children on the bus?, when picking out films.

Also, about your complaint with regard to her simply being moved to a different position in this school, I don't see a problem with it, she is very capable of working with children and a very nice person. The task she is performing now involves little to no actual contact with the students, since she's not talking to the student or interacting with them while doing the task. If it's her removal from the school which is being hoped for here, I can't say you have my support in this, since I believe appropriate actions has been taken and there is no reason to further "punish" this person. She may have made some mistakes, but no matter what the outcome of this is, she will not be able to undo those things.

It's of course never nice hearing that a student can't continue his/her education where they were expected too, but honestly asking, what did you expect when you involve the police in a case like this? I still don?t understand why the police was involved since this doesn?t really seem like a case where they would need to be.
As this is a private school, they can "pick and choose" who they wish to teach at the school and who they don't and in that since they did no wrong in informing you that they did not wish to continue teaching your child.
I can understand you probably felt frustrated over the schools reaction, as to the letter they send to regarding your child continuing his education at the school. And it seems rather unfair of their part, but once again, as this is a private school they are entitled to do so.

Best regards.
Jenny

Jason..You have all my support..You did all what parent can do,and maybe it is better your son wont go to that "pick who wont" -"teach who wont " PRIVATE school..I would never ever send my child back to place like that.I am an adult and don't understand and would never watch movies like that..for child to go trough experience like that..well,I wont wish to enemy.
And for Jenny..I involve police in everything,especially when child concerned..when you will have one,and be in situation like Jasons family(which I hope you never will be)..!!!!!!

you involve police in... everything?

|Hello, i went to Almunecar International School for 3 years and lived in the area for 8 years. I travelled on the bus going to and from Nerja. When i attended the school, i believe there was a different bus monitor a spanish lady she was absolutely perfect she did her job and helped us if we needed any help. Even when i attended Year10 none of the students were able to persuade her into putting on dvds above level PG, we were forced to watch family movies all deffinately child friendly!
Whoever changed that bus monitor to the lady who was just dismissed was obviously out of their mind. I dont see the problem in giving her a job in the dining hall, there is no way she can do any harm working there. Yet i must say i dont understand why it took months for these children to say anything to their parents about the dvds playing, obviously they enjoyed them? i happen to love saw and now have two children of my own, i would deffinately not let either of them watch saw for many years, letting saw etc. play on the bus was obviously a mistake and she was obviously overpowered by the year 10's +. i believe she has been punished enough and does not need to be fired for this mistake.
i happen to love almunecar international school and would reccommend to any expat! you learn alot, whether it be other languages you learn more to do with life leaving england and moving to another country where there are other opnions views lifestyles its a fantastic school in every way and the teachers when i was attending the school were all fantastic, when i was there mrs richards was the deputy head and a lovely lady!

deleted my essay complaint incase of trouble

WOW! This thread is like a real life soap!

'They say whenever there are two people or more together, you get politics".

There are always a differing opinion whoever you are.

But if 1 iota of Anonymouses post is true, then this is a shambles of a school.

I was bullied in the Army (yes, it goes on 100%. Remember the Deepcut Barracks suicides???), so any mis-use of authority is a no no in my books.

I hope all the pupils (and likely staff too), that are having a rough time at this place can get out asap!

This is incredible.
Jason, we know you only from this post...And he tells us that his son had nightmares over a film, and you are already planning on boycotting the school etc.
Jasons son was the cleanest child ever, he never seen anything negative in this world. He was like a princess, well he is right now because his dad tryes to keep him away from this world and hiding him into a closet. Now daddy get your facts right, if you dont like this school...Get the '' '' out of there and stop giving people your CHEAP propaganda which is based only on a bus movie...
Thank you.

How can the school let their monitor work as if nothing happened? This is obviously a malpractice of authority. They should have done something to prevent the monitor from coming back or mingling with the children.