Headteacher punishes children of parents who fail to pay for school lunches

[Jazzy]

Article Source

A headteacher has been branded ‘cruel’ on social media for punishing children whose parents are unable to pay for school lunches.

Single mum, Dionne Kelly, claimed she received a ‘threatening’ letter from Michaela community school in Wembley for falling behind on her child’s school dinner payments, reports Mail Online.

The letter warns that if the overdue fee of £75 is not paid up, her son will be placed on ‘lunch isolation’ for an hour and given a restricted meal, which consists of a sandwich and a piece of fruit.

But headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh received a huge public backlash after the ‘unforgivable’ letter was posted to Twitter.

Dionne claimed she received the letter only two weeks after Reon had started at the school, and had not yet registered for free school meals.

Despite the mother paying the outstanding amount, she claimed her 12-year-old son was still punished.

She told Mail Online: ‘I found the letter quite threatening. Isolating children for their parents not paying upfront is degrading. It’s embarrassing for poor families.’

The letter, signed by deputy head Barry Smith, told the mother: ‘If the full amount is not received within this week your child will be placed into Lunch Isolation.’

Spoiler: The Letter

The mother has since moved her son to a different school.

Thoughts about the letter?

 

[South Of Heaven]

Lunch isolation is just being cruel to the child when none of this is his fault.

 

[APS]

Mr Barry Smith is definitely in the wrong job.

 

[Worldwide]

To bad for the mother, if she paid her bills she wouldn't have received the letter.

 

[Webster]

Lunch isolation is just being cruel to the child when none of this is his fault.

Mr Barry Smith is definitely in the wrong job.

We see enough of this here in the 'States....

To bad for the mother, if she paid her bills she wouldn't have received the letter.

...but I gotta ask: why should they take it out on the kid?

 

[Worldwide]

We see enough of this here in the 'States.......but I gotta ask: why should they take it out on the kid?

It's not taking it out on the kid, how long did they keep feeding the kid for while the mothers bill was past due? And I bet my ass that letter warning that mother and advising her her payments was past due was not the first time she got a letter.
Why should the kid get free meals cause the mother is not paying?
Pay the bills and the kid gets fed.

 

[APS]

It's not taking it out on the kid, how long did they keep feeding the kid for while the mothers bill was past due? And I bet my ass that letter warning that mother and advising her her payments was past due was not the first time she got a letter.
Why should the kid get free meals cause the mother is not paying?
Pay the bills and the kid gets fed.

"
Dionne claimed she received the letter only two weeks after Reon had started at the school, and had not yet registered for free school meals.

Despite the mother paying the outstanding amount, she claimed her 12-year-old son was still punished."

Best if you read it properly

 

[Worldwide]

"
Dionne claimed she received the letter only two weeks after Reon had started at the school, and had not yet registered for free school meals.

Despite the mother paying the outstanding amount, she claimed her 12-year-old son was still punished."

Best if you read it properly

And I say that is one side of the story .. The other side of the story is the truth

 

[APS]

And I say that is one side of the story .. The other side of the story is the truth

So she's a liar according to you ?

 

[Worldwide]

So she's a liar according to you ?

Not a liar, just not disclosing the full truth.

 

[APS]

Not a liar, just not disclosing the full truth.

But if you say she's not disclosing the full truth,you must know what the full truth is.

 

[Worldwide]

But if you say she's not disclosing the full truth,you must know what the full truth is.

No, but the is what I do know, most things that don't make sense, do so for a reason.
And her story doesn't make sense and without hearing the other side of the story i hesitate to throwing my sympathy her way as she was the one behind on her bill payments, and all we know is her side of her story

 

[APS]

Then your statement "The other side of the story is the truth" is totally inaccurate.

 

[Worldwide]

Then your statement "The other side of the story is the truth" is totally inaccurate.

I agree actually, there are three sides to the story:
His
Hers
And Truth
And truth can only be reached by hearing both sides

 

[APS]

Even then without physical proof it's a case of who do you believe. A or B

 

[Worldwide]

Even then without physical proof it's a case of who do you believe. A or B

Which is A and which is B?

 

[Bluezone777]

This lunch isolation thing is pretty much just a revamped version of the scarlet letter. It's going to drive other children to bully and abuse this child because of the way they are meant to stand out in a negative way. This child has no control over the issue regarding the money and shouldn't be held responsible for it.

Any action taken in regards to collecting this money should be directed at the parent(s) only. They should be feeding this child as they normally would even though the school isn't getting paid because it is the best interests of the child to get a decent meal so they can perform well in school and not be made into an outcast by getting special negative treatment due to circumstances beyond their control.

 

[Webster]

This lunch isolation thing is pretty much just a revamped version of the scarlet letter. It's going to drive other children to bully and abuse this child because of the way they are meant to stand out in a negative way. This child has no control over the issue regarding the money and shouldn't be held responsible for it.

Any action taken in regards to collecting this money should be directed at the parent(s) only. They should be feeding this child as they normally would even though the school isn't getting paid because it is the best interests of the child to get a decent meal so they can perform well in school and not be made into an outcast by getting special negative treatment due to circumstances beyond their control.

^ ^ ^
What @Bluezone777 said.