Anonymous wrote:International family here, but one that has lived in the US for many years. That sounds absolutely terrible, OP. I'm sorry you've been treated this way. My kids are in public, but I used to go to a British boarding school. It wasn't great, which is why I would never send my kids to boarding school.

The solutions I would consider are:

1. Move in-bounds for a well-regarded public school system. My kids spent their K-12 in such a place, and they did well.

2. Apply to another private school, but not a boarding school. Not all require a letter of recommendation, and even if they do, you can be honest and explain that he experienced bullying issues in his previous boarding school.

I would not, at this time, waste my time and money on a lawsuit. I would just take my kid out and start afresh elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:Why does he have to go to boarding school?
Have him go to a private day school wherever you are currently living?

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised you didnt take him to a doctor yourself on one of the weekends. Minute clinic or something. Infected toe is a big deal.

Anonymous wrote:Why the heck is your TWELVE year old in boarding school? Take him out and put him in public until you can find a day private you like better. Use the Zoom recording as leverage to get your tuition back if that's important to you.

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell is a 12 year old in boarding school? 14 is bad enough. This is insane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised you didnt take him to a doctor yourself on one of the weekends. Minute clinic or something. Infected toe is a big deal.

+1

Anonymous wrote:I hope this isn't a situation where you left your far-away country to place your child somewhere you were told was a feeder to an Ivy. Families who do boarding schools well generally have a much better understanding of what it entails than you, and know how to communicate before issues turn nasty.

There are so many great public and great private day schools in the US, OP. They offer a good education for your children, without closing doors for any university.

Anonymous wrote:They took your son to a podiatrist - I bet your son wasn't doing whatever he was supposed to on a regular basis and that's why his problems kept coming back during the week. Did your son understand the language he was being given?

Lina2025 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised you didnt take him to a doctor yourself on one of the weekends. Minute clinic or something. Infected toe is a big deal.

+1

Urgent Care wasn’t the right place in this case. He needed a professional podiatrist, and it’s almost impossible to get an appointment with one on weekends. We consulted with our family doctor as well, followed all his instructions, and treated the toe at home. Eventually, after I asked several times, the school did schedule a podiatrist appointment. So the medical situation was monitored — but definitely not handled properly from the start.

Anonymous wrote:That’s young for boarding school. Get him out now. Contact Parents League ASAP and see if they can help get him pms ed in a day school in the city.

Lina2025 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They took your son to a podiatrist - I bet your son wasn't doing whatever he was supposed to on a regular basis and that's why his problems kept coming back during the week. Did your son understand the language he was being given?

No, that’s not the case. This is a boarding school — there is a full-time nurse whose job is to take care of students’ health needs on a daily basis.
After reviewing the Zoom recording between the nurse and the school administration (which they didn’t expect me to receive), it became clear that they were overwhelmed with seasonal illnesses and simply didn’t want to deal with my son’s toe properly. That’s why they repeatedly suggested that I “take him home for treatment.”

When I asked for basic weekday support — either daily care or at least letting him use the prescribed ointment — the nurse told me to remove him from school instead. For a child who barely speaks English, leaving school for an undefined period would mean falling behind academically and socially, which is not a reasonable solution.

So no, this is not about my son failing to follow instructions — it’s about the school refusing to provide appropriate care during the week.

Also, as foreigners, we genuinely wanted to understand how the system works here. In our minds, the US has always been a place where children’s rights and safety are strongly protected, and if something goes wrong, there are clear mechanisms to resolve it. But in this situation it feels like we will just leave quietly, and everything that happened will go completely without consequences for the school. That part is very hard to accept.