If, like me, you’ve raised children, you’ll be all too aware of the momentary apprehension you get when they bring a letter home from school.
All of my children were well behaved and consistently got good grades. Still, whenever they came home with a letter from their teacher I was left fretting over the worst.
From time to time said letters would explain they’d gotten into trouble of one sort or another. On occasion they were to inform me of some change to do with their classes.
What I never received (thankfully) was a letter outlining a ridiculous policy that could have left one of them without food. Mom Takaria Scott wasn’t so lucky.
After getting a letter from her child’s teacher, Takaria was shocked. At first glance it was simply a note to inform parents of an upcoming Christmas party. Yet there was one line that stood out amongst the others. “My philosophy is: if they don’t bring anything they don’t eat anything,” it read.
Takaria took to Facebook to share her thoughts on the ultimatum. Needless to say, she was less than happy.
“Now for these kids to be between 6-7yrs this should not be a philosophy. Kids are kids man. This is definitely not acceptable in my eyes,” she wrote.
It wasn’t long before the school was hit with numerous complaints from other angered parents. The Meridian Public School District superintendent, Dr. Amy Carter, assured them no child would be left out from the party.
“We want our students to view school as a safe space. Our students should know that the moment they come to school, they are in an environment where they are nurtured by their teacher,” she said.
“I can’t publically speak to specifics regarding the teacher, however, I want to assure our families and students that all students will participate and no students will be made to feel uncomfortable if they don’t bring refreshments. We know that so many of our teachers go above and beyond to make the holiday season a joy for so many.”
Takaria, however, wasn’t satisfied. She told Scary Mommy: “I’m not completely satisfied about the [school’s] response because I’m not sure something happened to the teacher. I appreciate everyone who reached out in this matter. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s child.”
Indeed, this teacher’s wording seems to have been far too harsh. I can see why the parents were angry!
Share this article if you think such a stance is unacceptable in a school.