Page 40 - Mini-Module 9

The reasonable careful parent

Parents could be unconventional, overprotective and come
with different whims and fancies. So what is the “reasonably
careful parent”? While there does not appear to be any
decided case on this, the court is likely to hold that it is some

imaginary reasonable parent so that a headmaster must
direct his staff to do what society considers to be what a
reasonable parent would do.

It follows then that a school cannot be expected to comply

with the wishes of individual parents in such matters as
disciplinary measures, provided that such are careful and
reasonable.

Is meticulous supervision necessary?

Many courts have considered the tendency of young

children to develop high spirits and have said that:
“School authorities, when they are considering the care of

children, must strike some balance between the meticulous
supervision of children every moment of the time when they
are under their care, and the very desirable object of

encouraging the sturdy independence of children as they
grow up …It is better that a boy break his neck than allow
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other people to break his spirit.”

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