News Desk
Teachers in Aberdeenshire schools chastised vulnerable primary school students using offensive language and repulsive emojis in a group WhatsApp chat.
When the chat was first made public last year, the parents of the impacted students were not notified. The messages, which BBC Scotland News was able to obtain, display disparaging comments about both parents and students.
The Aberdeenshire Council expressed regret for the circumstances and stated that the incident was handled in accordance with the council’s disciplinary procedure. Last year, an independent review determined that while some of the messages were “disparaging,” they did not endanger the children, and the council was correct to withhold them from parents. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland’s Nick Hobbs, head of advice and investigations, asserted that the council erred in failing to notify the children and their families about the messages, depriving them of the opportunity to file complaints, pursue remedies, and obtain an apology from the council.
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