MOBILE, AL (WALA) — Parents are outraged after Chastang Fournier School in Mobile County banned jackets in school buildings. In an email sent out yesterday, Principal Veronica Coleman wrote “jackets will no longer be worn inside of Chastang-Fournier K-8!”
This had parents furious Thursday afternoon, December 14th, after the rule was enforced that morning. Parents say this is an unusual method of discipline and its unsafe and unfair. They say the good kids shouldn’t have to suffer for the bad.
“Well why they can’t wear they jackets. I’m not understanding?” said Tawana Taylor.
This is the looming question for many parents whose children go to the school.
“They’re making the children take their jackets off at the second door. They got a lady there on jacket patrol. She’s like ‘take that jacket off'”
Taylor said she was one of the many parents at the school this morning. She ended up taking her son home for the day and contacting the school board office.
“Because I’m sitting there form like 7:45 to maybe a quarter to 9. I’m seeing kindergartners, 1st graders. I’m talking about shivering cold, but I see a teacher with a sweater and a scarf,” Taylor explained.
“It really upset me then when he called me and told me he was cold,” said Jamie Crenshaw.
Students like Jamie Crenshaw’s son who didn’t comply, because he said he was cold, were punished.
“They was like, ‘your son is being suspended.’ I said ‘for what?’ They said ‘for putting his jacket on.'”
According to the email, the new rule was put in place because “several students were caught with tank tops and some with no shirt on at all!” The email continued, “students may put their jackets back on once they go outside for p.e., or for dismissal. Our building is nice and warm.”
“If it was a situation where they wanted to see the shirts that the kids were wearing underneath the jackets, they could’ve simply said unbutton the jacket like I’m standing here,” said Bruce Crenshaw.
Parents say their children’s education is too important for them to have to concern themselves with small things like this.
“Seems like these are just distractions. These kids are here to get an education and they don’t need distractions like this. This is not called for,” explained Bruce Crenshaw.
“You worried about a jacket? she walking around probably got a heater under her desk. No ma’am. I am not satisfied at all,” added Taylor.
As we were packing up to leave a parent told us the principal called her this evening saying the rule was going to change back to normal tomorrow. Mobile County schools said they would look into the matter at a later date.