An elementary school in France has put up a sign urging parents to stop throwing their children over the fence. As bizarre as it sounds, it has been observed that many parents have resorted to this practice when they are running late.
Trillade primary school in Avignon, southern France, maintains a strict schedule for the students and does not allow them to enter the premises after 8:30 in the morning. Once the gate closes, there is no way to get the child admitted and hence some of the parents take the risk of hurling their kids over the six feet high fence of the school campus.
Following repeated occurrences, the school has put up ‘no throwing’ signs outside the entrance. The warning board shows an adult tossing a child over a fence.
The sign reads, “je ne lance pas mes enfants par-dessus le portail” which in English translates to: “I do not throw my children over the gate!” The notice also carries instructions for the parents to be back at the designated slots of 10 am or 3 pm, when the school gates are reopened.
“Some parents were literally throwing their children over the fence,” Sanaa Meziane, the principal of Trillade school, was quoted by local media as saying.
She added that though such incidents are not very frequent, they would prefer to address the situation as it was too risky and must be stopped before a child gets hurt. With the notice, she has warned the irresponsible parents to refrain from doing so.
The pressure of making school runs is not uncommon and people around the world have to deal with it. Since a school cannot be asked to compromise on its academic schedule, the onus of children reaching classes on time falls on the parents. But surely there can be other, safer ways to deal with such issues. The value of punctuality is not just meant for the kids, grown-ups need to heed it as well. At any rate, stop throwing kids over the fence.