Principal Is Being Attacked Online For Separating The Rich And Poor Kids On The School's Playground

Cutbacks

We all know that public schools are being subjected to cutbacks. This is happening all over the world, including the UK. Teachers are being forced to go into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies. Teachers are even having to deal with over-flowing classrooms because the school districts cannot afford to hire more students.

Asking the Parents For Help

In an effort to contend with this issue on the playground, The Wednesbury Oak Academy in Tipton, England has asked parents to help raise money in order to buy toys for the playground like jump ropes and footballs. They came up with the idea to charge the parents $8 each in order to pay for new playground toys.

Lack of Participation

Only 50 of the 450 student's parents made a contribution. The use of these toys was labeled as a "lunchtime activity club" by the school's principal, Maria Bull. Only the students whose parents made a contribution were allowed to play with these new toys. But, the students were allowed to invite a friend, whose parents did not pay, to join in a couple times a week.

Bull said that the charge should have been affordable to everyone as it only added up to being 15 pence (20 cents) per week. The 50 parents who did participate raised $409, but Bull claims that it was only enough to buy some tennis balls, a rugby ball, two jump ropes, some tennis balls, and a slinky. Sounds like some expensive toys if you ask me.

Unhappy Parents

The parent-teacher council was not happy with Bull's decision and has hit back. They were told that the payment from the parents was voluntary and that all of the children would have access to these new toys. Because of the outrage over this, Bull's decision that caused the rich/poor divide on the playground was revoked within 24 hours.

It's Just $8

The mother pictured here said, "It’s horrible because your child is segregated." Since her decision to segregate the playground was overturned, Bull still defends her decision. She claims that there was not a single parent who could not afford the small fee. She also said that she was on the verge of having to call the police for help because many parents have been attacking her online.

"Schools get an awful lot of bad press for doing things that benefit the children," she said. "We are asking for just $8 a year. We are talking about a 20-minute area outside with some toys. We are running this as a lunchtime activity club."

Cyber Bullying

"I wouldn't ask parents to pay for another child's after-school club. Parents threatening staff, the headteacher, it's unacceptable. This is cyber bullying of a school. Parents have behaved in a highly threatening manner on Facebook, telling me 'I need a good slapping'." She also goes on to say that they have systems in place for parents who wish to address their concerns.

Bad Teacher

Aside from whether or not you agree with Bull's decision to keep the kids, whose parents did not contribute towards the new toys, away from them, there is no denying that this Chinese nursery teacher deserves to be condemned. She made headlines last month when she was caught on camera punching, kicking, and shoving her young students around.

Having A Bad Day

Because of this harrowing footage, the school, located in China's Shaanxi Province, has received numerous complaints from the parents. The teacher reportedly lost control over her temper when the kids had been misbehaving all day long.

Still on the Job?

The education bureau of Shenmu City said that they contacted the school about this incident. It is unclear whether the teacher in question has been suspended from her position or not. However, the school has claimed that the teacher made a public apology to the parents of the children that she assaulted.

We can only hope that the incident at Principal Bull's school acts as a reminder that we should never treat children differently based on the actions of their parents and that justice is truly served for the child victims in China.