School expels kids over ‘idiot’ remark

FILE PHOTO: Boxer Ngwenya

FILE PHOTO: Boxer Ngwenya

Published Feb 19, 2015

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Durban - Two Durban children have been expelled from their private school because their mother called the teaching staff “idiots” after her nephew was allegedly shocked by an electric fence.

The mother, whose name has been withheld to protect the children, admitted making the comment, saying she was in a rage after staff at Mount Edgecombe Private School omitted to inform her sister and her husband about the incident last week.

Their 6-year-old had been on the playground with the woman’s son when he touched an electric fence on one side of the playground.

The mother was angered by the school’s response, and said she found out about the incident from her 9-year-old daughter.

“My nephew got electrocuted (sic) by touching the fence. It is a very low fence and for a young child to be able to reach it becomes a safety issue,” she said.

“What if he got injured?”

However, the school’s wire fence is about 2m high and there is an electric wire only above that.

Centimetres behind it is a fully-electrified fence securing a neighbouring warehouse. There is also a shallow drain on the school side.

School principal, Yusuf Salot, on Tuesday denied the pupil had been shocked.

Referring to the school’s incident book, he said the boy had touched the fence but was not injured, which is why they did not inform his parents.

It is not clear which fence the child had touched.

The Daily News visited the school on Wednesday and found that although not electrified, it might be possible for a small child to squeeze his hand through the spaces on the school-side fence and touch the electrified fence.

“I told the principal I was not happy and he said he did not like the way I spoke to the teacher because I called the teacher an idiot.

“My son and nephew were humiliated in front of the school and laughed at by the other children.

“I called her an idiot because she made them stand on the tarmac and be ridiculed, because other children must not be like them.

“I told them the real idiots are the five idiots (teachers) that are supposed to be watching the children,” she said.

However, the school’s head of department, Leann Chinsamy, denied this.

“I made an announcement in assembly reminding the children not to play near the fence. It was a normal assembly and I often make this notice. None of the kids were called up in front or even mentioned by name,” she said.

Chinsamy accused the mother of having “issues” with the school.

“She is trouble and rude and blows everything out of proportion.”

One of the school rules says readmission or continued admission was subject to parents co-operating fully with school authorities in respect of the child.

“The parents are fully aware of the rules and sign to declare this,” Sahlot said.

“Summary expulsion is not a policy at this school, but the severity of the mother’s vulgar language and disrespect called for this,” he said.

The two children have moved to another school.

Daily News

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