Dad sparks debate over what is considered ‘obscene language’ after son is suspended from school
Dad sparks furious debate over what counts as ‘obscene language’ after his 11-year-old son is suspended from school for saying a foul word
A father has sparked an online debate over what counts as “obscene language” after revealing that his 11-year-old son was suspended from school for saying a foul word.
Posted on Reddit on a page called Ask UKthe disgruntled British father posed the question and explained the situation he was currently in.
He wrote: “I got a call yesterday to say my 11-year-old son was being suspended for the rest of the day after he had an ‘obscenely sexual’ language outburst in class.”
Expanding further, he said his son had mentioned ‘teabagging’, which can refer to an act of oral sex, but is also a term used in games where a player celebrates killing another character by crouching over their dead body and bouncing up and down.
He said: ‘The children were learning about the First World War and the teacher pointed at my son and asked him to finish what she was talking about.
A father sought advice after his son was suspended from school for saying a rude word in response to a teacher’s question (file photo)
She was interrupted at a part about trench warfare and asked what would happen when an enemy soldier was captured in the trenches.
“Now my son, who was a bit of a prankster, replied, ‘they packed them up.’ Yeah, okay, not the response the teacher was expecting, but I think it was a bit extreme accusing him of using ‘obscenely sexual’ language and then call it off.”
‘Scooping out tea’ is a sexual term to describe the act of placing one’s testicles in another person’s mouth, often repeatedly, moving them up and down as if you were dipping a tea bag into a cup.
The father then opened up the discussion to ask if anyone else thought “getting tea” was sexually obscene language and if he should have been suspended.
Parents, teachers, and strangers took to the comments section to give their views, with many criticizing the father for his son’s behavior.
One person wrote: ‘I don’t think it’s that obscene. But I don’t think it’s okay for your son to say that, the fact that he felt safe saying it to the whole class shows me that he’s a bit of a class clown, so the teacher might be tired of his behavior.
‘The one day suspension is not so bad either. I would have just accepted it and moved on and just made sure her son stopped disrupting the class.’
Another commented: ‘Well, being sent home for the rest of the day is hardly ‘put on’.
Expanding further, he said that his son had mentioned ‘teabagging’, which can refer to an act of oral sex.
“But another thing: I wouldn’t take his word for it, that’s what he really said.”
A third added: ‘Professor here. I would define “teabagging” as obscene language.
‘Whether or not it warrants a day’s suspension depends on the school’s behavior policy; ask to see it’.
“Well not the worst language BUT extremely offensive to an 11 year old in a school setting,” wrote another.
‘As the parent of a 10-year-old boy, what he said would be unacceptable in a school setting.
Parents, teachers, and strangers all rushed to the comments section to give their views, with many criticizing the father for his son’s behavior.
‘Does it sound like he thinks he’s that ‘class clown’ everyone rolls their eyes at?
‘Hopefully he learned yesterday that he doesn’t want to be that guy?’
Another added: ‘If someone said this in my classroom I would probably go down to the bottom line of punishment.
‘Written punishment to be signed by parents or maybe lunch/break detention.
“The word is so deeply ingrained in gaming culture to insult a defeated enemy that I’d be surprised if they even thought or realized the definition of sexual.
“Given the context of the lesson, it’s 100 percent a game reference what you’re doing. I would say they crossed the line.