united-kingdom criminal-law minor education
Signing Under Duress in school?
<p>I am a minor in a UK public school. I was told I had to write a statement about a rule I broke in school and sign it. I missed out a piece of information, and they told me I had to write about that part, too.  Is this legal?</p>

<p>They made me write about something which I'm arguing isn't actually true, and they can and (I'm guessing will) use it against me.</p>

<p>Yes. This is legal. </p>

<p>A school acts <em>in loco parentis</em> which means in lieu of a parent, in the discipline of its students for what it perceives to be infractions and has broad authority to do so. This is considerably more true in Britain, where there is not so great a tradition of absolute individuals rights, than it is in the United States, where this is that tradition.</p>

<p>If you are unwilling to admit that what they consider is a violation of a rule is really wrong or a violation of a rule, then you are not just someone who has screwed up, but someone who defies their rules and that is grounds for expulsion because a school is allowed to teach only people who recognize its legitimacy.</p>
