Taking Legal Action against school (1 Viewer)

[hidemyass]

My (private) school's been very mean to me and other students. They denied us 2U Legal Studies, 3U English Extension and 3U History Extension (because they couldn't be bothered giving us a teacher for 8 students).

On my school's website, it says that if there is adequate demand the course will be offered. E.g. I was told the official minimum for History Extension was 4 students, so all of the 8 students wanting to do the course spoke the principal. It was refused because of "inadequate demand".

We are considering at least to file a complaint to the NSW Government Fair Trading and possibly to take legal action against the school for misleading advertising etc... Needing advice on any possible previous cases and if this is a good idea (all options within the school are exhausted).

 

[taylorswiftlove]

Contact the Board Of Studies, they should deal with it.
But keep in mind the same thing happened with me, (I wanted to do economics) but there were not enough girls in my grade who wanted to do it (only like 8 or something) so they didn't run the class and told me I should do the online course.
Schools can be bitchessss.

 

[BOSBOY]

The Board of Studies has no power to direct a school to offer particular courses.

 

[zxreth]

The Board of Studies has no power to direct a school to offer particular courses.

True.

 

[powlmao]

My (private) school's been very mean to me and other students. They denied us 2U Legal Studies, 3U English Extension and 3U History Extension (because they couldn't be bothered giving us a teacher for 8 students).

On my school's website, it says that if there is adequate demand the course will be offered. E.g. I was told the official minimum for History Extension was 4 students, so all of the 8 students wanting to do the course spoke the principal. It was refused because of "inadequate demand".


We are considering at least to file a complaint to the NSW Government Fair Trading and possibly to take legal action against the school for misleading advertising etc... Needing advice on any possible previous cases and if this is a good idea (all options within the school are exhausted).

How many people are in a usual class?

 

[Isho]

Wait are you doing your HSC exams now? Or did you just get into year 12?

 

[powlmao]

Wait are you doing your HSC exams now? Or did you just get into year 12?

I think he/she is in year 10 and is doing subject selection for year 11

 

[PaterzAttack]

consult your parents solicitor and see if you even have anything against them
if you do, i'd say it would be along the lines of discrimination or something along those lines

 

[powlmao]

consult your parents solicitor and see if you even have anything against them
if you do, i'd say it would be along the lines of discrimination or something along those lines

Wouldn't be discrimination.

Also not everyone has a solicitor...

To be honest there really isn't a thing you can do, schools don't have to run every subject. My school didn't bother to offer us geography

 

[pony_magician]

I honestly can't see that going far.
Many schools don't offer courses due to "lack of demand." It would easily open a can of works that I'd assume the courts and the BOS/Schools don't want to deal with.
Our potential Earth & Environmental Sciences had 8 students and didn't have enough 'demand', while Legal Studies ran with 2 students.
If the school decides there's not enough, then tough luck.

 

[Phoenix Fury]

it's pretty lame but all you can do is accept it or go to a bigger school (if location and circumstances permit)

 

[powlmao]

Since it also is a private school if it isn't in the budget they wouldn't be able to run it anyway

 

[PaterzAttack]

maybe not extension ancient, but that many students should be enough to run a mainstream course like legal studies

 

[2011_]

You could consider doing the subject via distance education?

 

[b3kh1t]

You could consider doing the subject via distance education?

Lol I tried to do economics through that, well actually through OTEN, but six months in and I still had not received my work and material, there reason was they lost it and would refund me my money, noobs. Ended up having to pick legal studies up near the end of year 11

 

[hidemyass]

Distance Ed was also ruled out because the school didn't send in the application forms by the deadline. My school says that for HSC classes a minimum of 4 to a max of 28 is accepted.

It's not because of the budget, since there's enough funds to run 2 Ancient Classes and 1 Modern class, they just neglected our year and "threw out" our application letter.

I'll probs wait till end of year and see what to do cus like its stupid to deny students 3 subjects of which Legal Studies and Ext English are common is just absurd.

 

[Aerath]

Can I just say - from a legal perspective, a Magistrate would throw your legal action out of court.

 

[Chambalam]

It's a private school?...

Isn't it like how public schools can't expel children, but private schools can? I mean they are in effect a business. I mean my school is the same with software design, we had 6 people wanting to do it but they instead didn't run it.

I just mean, if its a private, isn't the only real response to that - to move to another school or suck it up? Maybe it isn't who knows.

 

[jamesfirst]

DO IT


Sue your school. I would.

 

[cem]

The other issue is staffing - to run an elective class for 8 students in Year 12 could mean a problem covering mandatory classes in the lower grades - which have to be covered and taught.

As the subjects all seem to be HSIE it could very well be more a staffing issue rather than students - my school hasn't been able to run Modern History due to lack of staffing available considering the low number of students (and also not running extension history or geography for the same reason - lowish numbers and a need to cover classes in lower grades meaning no available staff to teach the class).

Private schools can refuse to run a class for any number of reasons - the requirements for demand can change on a yearly basis e.g. they might run a class one year with two students but the following year it mightn't run with 10 students and they use 'demand' rather than 'staffing' to be the issue.