The evil witch Valerie Moore, chief executive of the trust which runs the school refused to comment but an online message said the decision was for ‘safety’ reasons.
When snow began to fall gently around their primary school, pupils were naturally excited. But their joy quickly melted away when their teachers banned them from going near it – or even looking at it through the window. [2] That’s right folks, a primary school in the United Kingdom has banned students from getting in contact with snow due to its “distracting” and unsafe nature. [1] Neurotic teachers and mentally ill administrators are apparently in control of this little school near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. Blinds were drawn in the classrooms of Stalham Academy during the recent wintry weather and the children were even “marshalled” into the building and stopped from touching the snow. [4] Outraged parents complained to the school after kids returned home upset that they couldn’t enjoy the unusual conditions. [4] After students were ordered not to go near the snow for the remainder of the school day, a classroom full of eight and nine-year-olds were accused of allowing the snow to distract them, prompting a teacher to close the blinds and ban the class from looking outside. [1] School administrators defended the decision by calling the snow a “safety” issue, arguing that the ban was in line with school policy. [1] [5] “Over the course of the day the ice had not cleared by break time on the Monday and sleet and snow showers prevented outdoor play at lunchtime,” a statement read. “Having discussed the matter with the class teacher in question, she noted that the heavy snow fall was having an impact upon the learning of the children during one of her lessons so the blinds were closed to ensure that children focused on their tasks in hand.” [1] [5] Parents, on the other hand, were not supportive of the school’s decision. Outraged parents accused staff at Stalham Academy, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, of being killjoys after just 1cm of snow fell and said that they had missed an opportunity to teach the enthusiastic children about snow. [2] “It is not an everyday or even an all-day occurrence so how this could possibly affect the education of our children is beyond me,” Charlotte Marsters, mother of a nine-year-old student, said. The mom said that her nine-year-old daughter had been excited at the snowfall but was left disappointed when her teacher closed the classroom blinds. [4] She added: “Stalham Academy because whilst you were containing our children in artificially lit classrooms the majority of the other schools were having snowmen building competitions and science experiments on snowflakes!” [1] Marsters even stated that one boy was reprimanded for collecting a small amount of snow off a wall before entering school. [1] She said there had been another light smattering of snow a few days earlier, during which one child was told off for ‘flicking a bit of snow’, while ‘another was put in isolation for touching it’. [2] ‘Then they said there were education reasons because the kids were doing a test but none of them remember taking a test.’ [2] The mother added: ‘The school has been in freefall since it became an academy last year. [2] Shelly Betts, mother of and eight-year-old student, was also shocked at the school’s harsh decree. “When they told me they’d shut the blinds I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “They’re only little and they only stay children for a short time. They could have turned the snow into a science lesson instead of banning them from seeing it.” Julie Hollins, 30, who has an eight-year-old son at the academy, said: ‘Stopping them from seeing it fall is like a slap in the face for little children.’ [2] The school’s policy represents the growing crackdown on normal childhood behavior that has spread to educational centers across the globe. [1]
It’s not the first time that this school make the headlines for their rude ways to impose their neurosis on the children. We remember that this is the same school where a vicar caused uproar before Christmas by telling pupils that Santa Claus doesn’t exist – claimed it had acted because of health and safety concerns as the ground had become icy. [2] [3] [5]
