10 December 2024 , 20:28
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A pupil was suspended for hacking his school’s network while in a computer science class because he was ‘bored’.
Riley Stoddern, 15, a pupil at Poltair School in St Austell, was excluded for three days after the hack in late November.
His father, Daniel Stoddern, said his son’s expulsion has raised more questions for him than answers.
Riley was diagnosed with ADHD, autism and severe social and emotional anxiety. He was non-verbal in school during years eight and nine and was very reclusive even after 18 months of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) therapy.
Daniel has been left asking why Riley didn’t receive Special Education Needs support to stop him from getting bored – as agreed by his school – and how it was easy for the teenager to hack into the school’s IT system.
Riley’s dad said: ‘The teacher that rang me made Riley out to be some kind of genius terrorist or something and said that this was a very serious matter as Riley apparently hacked the computer system and could have potentially shut down the entire school network, which would have deleted files and work and contact details for everyone.’
The school in Cornwall suspended Riley for three days (Picture: BPM Media)
This isn’t the first time Riley has been suspended from his school. In the past, he’s managed to play games or watch YouTube ‘when he is not intellectually stimulated enough’, his dad said.
He added: ‘I don’t condone what Riley did but is it Riley’s fault that he’s bored and hasn’t got the support or supervision he and I was told he would receive?
‘I don’t think teachers and the deputy head have thought of the implications of a home sanction as Riley is already stating that he’s no longer going to attend after-school catch-up or interact with staff that don’t bother helping him in class as he’s fed up trying his best and just getting in trouble.’
The concerned dad said he has had hours of meetings and calls with the school about Riley and his siblings’ special educational needs.
He said he made it clear to the school that he wants Riley and his brother Jason to be in school under more supervision so they don’t get distracted and end up in trouble.
He said: ‘Clearly this has not been the case and that teachers have forgotten their promise that this won’t become an issue again.
‘I’ve spoken to Riley and he said that the teacher in question only comes to his table and says to him to get on with his work. The teacher never asks him if he’s ok or understands what he should be doing or sits and goes through things with him.
‘The school knows that Riley is reluctant to ask for help or draw attention to himself or the fact he needs help hence why his SEN plan says the regular check-ins are needed with verbal interaction from teachers.’
Daniel said the problem with the ‘sentence’ is that by the time the appeal process has been resolved, the suspension has already taken place, and the child has missed school.
He added: ‘It’s also very worrying that Riley was able to access the content on how to hack the system while he was attending a computer science class.
‘Does this mean the school’s network system is so slow, weak or lacking any kind of functional firewalls and administrative capabilities that could stop this from happening?
‘If it is then why was Riley given a three-day home sanction if the system is that safe? Riley has an inquisitive mind and is hoping to work in cyber security when he’s older so Googling how to do something isn’t a crime.’