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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. I agree that I have always understood the immunity to apply to official functions only, but we all know of specific case-by-case situations where diplomats have not been charged with speeding tickets, or much worse. However, I have to admit that until recently I have never given much thought to the immunity applying to their children.

DC's school has several children from the foreign diplomat community -- it's been great for the most part. However, there are a couple that repeatedly get in to trouble for seriously acting out in class, punching other children (we're talking serious/real punches to the face and front of body),starting foodfights in the cafeteria, and just all sorts of other similar infractions that just seem to progress and mount up as the years go by. The kids get sent to the vice principal's office and then wind up back in class.

Granted, my DC's haven't been significantly impacted by any of this because they haven't been targeted by any of these kids -- yet. However, they see what happens at school, I have witnessed several things happen over the years on field trips and at school functions myself.

MY DC's are starting to get quite annoyed by it and they have asked me why the kids don't get suspended, etc. I honestly have no answer because I'm not overly aware of everything that happens -- just a casual observer. [/quote]

Based only on what you have reported here, which we can all acknowledge is only part of the story, it certainly sounds like the school is turning a blind eye to poor behavior from these children and not applying the rules and consequences of the school equally. I can see how that would be annoying. It does not, however, OFFICIALLY have anything to do with the parent's diplomatic status.  "High ranking parent" may be the reason the school is willing to let poor behavior slide, but the diplomat parent would not actually be able to (or in all likelihood even think to try to) pressure the school in any way to get them to do so. If this is why the school is not giving these students consequences equal to what other students would receive, and keep in mind that there could be another explanation kept private between the students and the school, school officials are almost certainly electing this course of action of their own personal initiative. The diplomat parent is unlikely to be explicitly made aware that the school is willing to overlook poor behavior, because there is no way the parent (while likely grateful for the leniency in a personal perspective as any parent would be in a similar situation) could allow it to continue because the sending government would never deem such behavior or allowances to be appropriate.

The only way this would actually be "diplomatic immunity" and thus follow OFFICIALLY from the parent's diplomatic status is if either the school or another student's parent had attempted to press charges against the student for assault for punching the classmate but was unable to do so. In that case, depending on a whole host of extremely complex factors for which I cannot offer an actual informed explanation due to not being a lawyer, diplomatic immunity MIGHT come into play and prevent the student from being charged in a criminal or civil proceeding.[/quote]

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