School required phone hand-in for board exam, gave her back broken inner screen
My child had to hand in their phone before a board required assessment. It was placed in a small shared tub with belongings from around 20 students, including hard objects. The phone was working before hand-in but the inner foldable screen was broken when returned. The school is saying to contact Samsung, but we believe the damage happened under the school’s supervision.
I am looking for advice about whether a school should take responsibility in this situation.
My child handed in their phone before a GAT/VCE assessment, as required. The phone was working before it was handed in at around 8:55 am. Several students saw my child open and use the inner/main foldable screen shortly before collection, and there is also a message timestamp from before the assessment.
The phone was placed into a small shared tub/basket used for belongings from the same row. My child was seated at the final seat in the row, and the tub/basket reportedly contained belongings from approximately 20 students, including phones and hard objects. The container provided does not appear to have been a safe or appropriate storage method for valuable devices.
When the phone was returned and opened, the inner foldable screen was damaged and unusable. This issue was reported immediately. We were told that the principal and coordinator saw the damage at the time, and that the school has already reviewed CCTV footage.
The phone was bought after saving for a considerable period of time, and it was something my child valued greatly. After discovering the damage, my child was visibly crying and extremely distraught, which was witnessed by staff and students present at the time. My child currently feels unfit to attend further exams, and I am very distressed about the impact this incident has had on their mental state.
We cannot afford to buy another phone or pay the repair costs. This happened after the phone was handed into the school’s storage process, under the school’s supervision. The storage arrangement appears unsafe and inadequate, and I do not believe it is reasonable for the family to simply be told to contact Samsung and bear the cost ourselves.
We have asked for this to be treated as a formal complaint and for the school to provide a written explanation. We are also asking the school to cover the cost of repair or replacement if Samsung confirms the damage is not covered under warranty.
Would the school be responsible in this situation, or can they refuse responsibility by saying personal belongings are brought to school at the owner’s risk?
