A Tai Kok Tsui kindergarten principal allegedly ordered a teacher to take photos of a special needs student who took off her clothes in class as evidence of the child’s emotional fit.
On June 23, a female kindergartener who was having an outburst stripped off her clothes, including her underwear, in front of her teacher and students, former district councilor Owan Li wrote on Facebook Sunday after school staff sent him an email asking for assistance.
The homeroom teacher had earlier tried to comfort the tantrum-throwing student but to no avail, and reported the incident to school management.
Instead of offering assistance, the school’s principal Wu Chiu-ha instructed for the naked child to be photographed with the school’s mobile phone. The pictures, Wu said, can be used as proof of the student’s emotional outburst in case parents lodge a complaint in the future.
The teachers refused, recognizing that taking pictures of the helpless child instead of assisting her to put her clothes back on would be inappropriate. However, the school director Leung Pui-man agreed with Wu’s suggestion and took the phone to photograph the naked student.
The Education Bureau said it has received the incident report and is investigating the allegations. Coconuts has reached out to the kindergarten but has not gotten a response at the time of writing.
It’s not the first time that the kindergarten has come under fire for the principal’s alleged actions. Earlier this year, teachers at the school said Wu forced them to paint a mural at her home during school suspensions, among other personal tasks.
Staff say they have also witnessed Wu physically abusing the students, reportedly grabbing a special needs student by his leg and dragging him on his back across the floor.
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