Learners from Christian David Moravian primary in Coniston Park, Steenberg, were allegedly sent home for not wearing masks.
The incident caused an uproar among residents on social media.
Rayleigh Van der Merwe, a community worker in Seawinds, said she came across three learners walking home from school at around 08:15 on Tuesday 10 May.
“I saw these three boys, one said his mask was broken and another said he forgot his mask at home. She (the principal) is sending them home because they did not wear a mask, why not call the parent in?”
She added that the boys said they were in Grade 6 and 7 and living in Overcome Heights.
“I found them on the border of Lavender Hill. Gangsters could get hold of them, what if they were kidnapped or got caught in gang crossfire? How could they walk all the way to Overcome Heights and back through Lavender Hill in the morning.
“The school is a no-fees school, so what happens to those parents who do not have masks for their child?”
She added that just minutes away from school masks are for sale.
“There could have been another way to approach the situation and to find a solution, instead of sending the children home.”
The mother of two said she runs a soup kitchen in the community and knows the poverty many families face.
“Every day I see around 300 children and on weekends close to 1 000 children. Poverty is real, our people are struggling and dying of hunger. I’m hoping something positive can come from this and the community can look at the needs of the school. I hope we can get support for masks at the school.”
Van der Merwe posted the incident on Facebook in the hope of gaining support to collect masks for the school.
“Can we as a community support this school by supplying them with masks . . . to avoid this in the future?”
School principal Benita Cornelius said she was not aware of the incident until she was contacted by Van der Merwe.
“This is the first time we have heard about this and it was the first time that this incident happened. We don’t send the children home when they don’t have face masks. I have asked her to give me a chance to investigate the situation.”
Cornelius added after investigating the incident she found that one boy was sent home from school to fetch a mask, while a second boy had been absent from school for days.
“One of the boys she spoke to actually had not been at school for a week, when the teacher contacted his grandfather he was also not aware that the child was not at school.”
Cornelius further confirmed that one boy who was sent home for not wearing a mask returned with his mother.
“When learners come to school without a mask we do issue them with a mask. Some will come back during the second interval to say they have lost their mask again.”
She added that they do run out of masks at school.
On social media residents voiced their disapproval of children walking home alone.
Alithia Prins wrote: “There are parents who can’t afford a mask every time when the child’s mask breaks, but still that child is willing to come to school without that mask.”
Bronwyn Natasha Bebe-Arendse commented that some children did not have food to eat, let alone a mask to wear.
“Those kids probably don’t even have something to eat, never mind a mask. The principal is clearly in the wrong profession, a box of 100 masks you can get for less than R100, they should keep some spare.”
Hazel Marco said she was concerned about the children’s safety walking alone.
“I hope the boy was not harmed going home from school to fetch a mask or on their way back because we have some sick people out there taking advantage of a situation like this.
“Keep our children safe and please do not send children home from school as the roads are empty and these kids get robbed and assaulted on the road.”
Tasneem Adams wrote that it was irresponsible of the school to send children home.
“Sending the kids home into a danger zone for not having a mask is uncalled for and irresponsible.
“This is not a good enough reason to send kids home. Anything can happen.
“Don’t these schools learn? There was a learner who was also sent home who can’t remember the school he attended and he was brutally murdered, and this happened not too long ago. The safety of our kids should be a priority, they are our future generation.”
Meanwhile, Monita Ely Arendorf wrote that the school should not be blamed as teachers are also struggling.
“That school is struggling so much, yes here and there they have been sponsored, but not enough to supply the whole school. So many masks have been given out to children and parents were advised to wash them so that they can have it for the next day.”
Natasha Europa suggested that parents who were able to assist, should buy extra masks to send to school.
“I suggest we as parents, who can afford it, should actually help the schools our kids attend by buying masks each month or so. Or donate some, if you don’t have any kids in school.”
