A high school student and her mother told reporters that the school staff and teachers pressured her to quit school after she brought donuts to class for a friend’s birthday.
The teen girl, whose name was not disclosed, was a Mathayom 4 student at an unnamed school in Nonthaburi province. On Feb. 9, her father dropped off a box of donuts for her at the school’s security booth in the morning, which then got her in trouble.
According to the girl and her mother, during the students’ morning line-up, a female security guard came and yanked the girl’s arm before the entire school “because of the donut box,” in the girl’s words. The guard dragged her to the student discipline office to meet the school vice director and the head teacher of Mathayom 4 level.
They started scolding the girl for bringing donuts to class and brought up some of her other “offenses” like getting an eyebrow tattoo. They went as far as telling the girl that her behavior does not fit with that of students in the top school of the province, and that she should find a different school.
“The vice director told me that if I cannot behave in this school, I should try another school to see if I can get along with others,” the girl told the press.
“In the student discipline room, if I answer, they take it as talking back. If I smile, they think I’m mocking them. If I stay silent, they say I don’t feel remorseful. I didn’t know what to do; I was dazed.”
Since the incident, the girl refused to go to school because she was embarrassed, according to her mom. Following her absence, she received a letter from the school’s director which told her to officially resign. Her mother, who thinks her daughter has received unfair treatment, complained to the media, saying that her daughter is a student with excellent GPA and does not deserve to be expelled.
When the family asked to meet with the director, the school staff said that the director was away. The girl was allowed to finish her final exams, but the mother feared that her daughter’s absent time in school will deteriorate her performance.
Meanwhile, the school director, who was unidentified, claimed that he/she was aware of the donut incident, but pointed out that it was impossible and inappropriate that a school guard would use force in front of the whole school.
About the donut box offense, the director claimed that the school is concerned about their students’ security, so the girl was taken to the discipline office to be cautioned. The offense was so minor that expulsion should not be her punishment. The director also denied sending the girl a letter telling her to quit school.
We may need more facts in this case, but calling “bringing a box of donuts to school” an offense seems a little bit overreacting. In Thai public schools, students are prohibited from ordering food to class and they may be disciplined if doing so.
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