Schoolgirl stripped in class because of removable tattoo

Jun 07, 2008 News

…welfare department to investigate

An outraged mother made her fury evident yesterday when she told the story of how her 14-year-old child was apparently stripped of her school uniform by teachers because she (the daughter) had a removable tattoo on her thigh.

According to the schoolgirl, after she went to class after the break, the boys in her class told her teacher that some of the girls had removable tattoos. She said that all of the girls were asked to go downstairs where they reported to another teacher who checked and saw that two of the girls were indeed wearing removable tattoos.
The schoolgirl then added that she and the other schoolgirl were then given the ultimatum of either removing her school clothes or going home.
After she removed her dress, the schoolgirl said that the headmaster was nearby and when the situation was explained to him, he said, “Do what you have to do,” before walking away.
The schoolgirl said that she then went outside to the vendors, who asked her what was going on and why she was missing her skirt. After she explained the situation to them, they allowed her a phone call to her mother.
The schoolgirl’s mother then came to the school where she uplifted her daughter but not before she had requested her daughter’s skirt and had her request denied. Instead, said the schoolgirl’s mother, the skirt was thrown on a window sill.
The mother said that she, along with her daughter, clad in her school shirt and tights, proceeded to Brickdam Police Station where she was told that the police could not deal with that matter. She said that the ranks told her to go to the Ministry of Education or to the Alberttown Police Station. After this, she proceeded to the Ministry of Education where she was told by the security guard to go to Schools’ Welfare Service (SWS).
At the SWS, the woman said that she lodged an official report. A source within the SWS said that the teacher was called into the SWS, but did not respond on the grounds that a problem with her foot prevented her from doing so.
The same source within the SWS noted that the teacher and the headmaster would be called in on Monday for an inquiry into the matter.
However, when asked about the matter at the secondary school where the events transpired, teachers told a different story.

According to them, the schoolgirl was told to go and wash off the removable tattoo.
The teachers alleged that the schoolgirl was lifting up her skirt to show other pupils in the class the removable tattoo. The teachers insisted that the schoolgirl was given the choice of either removing the tattoo or being sent home.
They added that they imparted this information to the schoolgirl’s mother, but the woman refused to believe what they said and she left.