She is only 7 years old but tonight Yolanda Coleman is in the middle of a standoff between her mother and Catholic Public Schools Management over - of all things - jewelry. The short version of the story is that the child's mom - a single parent - wants her to wear jewelry, but the school refuses to allow it. The child has been out of school for three days and both sides agree the best possible outcome would be for the child to be transferred to another school. But that hasn't happened yet. Keith Swift tried to make sense out of the case of baby bling versus school standards.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Her uniform was ironed and her school bag was packed but yesterday 7 year old Yolanda Coleman was home from school because she had been kicked out of her infant two class at St. Martin's Deporres School on Partridge Street. She isn't allowed into the school compound because of these two rings.
Yolanda Coleman, Expelled from School
"They told me to take off the ring."
And because she hasn't - Yolanda has been out of school since Thursday.
Natalee Coleman,
"The principal doesn't want her at school. The principal told me to come for the transfer paper but I haven't gone for it back."
Keith Swift,
Why don't want your daughter in the school?
Natalee Coleman,
"Because she has the two rings on her hand, that is the thing with it the lady told me not to bring her back because she has the two rings on her hand but I told her the rings got thing in them and so my baby can't take them off and that's why - that is the problem."
But that's not good enough for the General Manager of Catholic Public Schools Clemente Wade. He says wearing jewelry is in complete contravention of the school's policy and that Natalie Coleman is well aware of it.
Clemente Wade, General Manager - Catholic Public Schools
"It goes back months in which the child began wearing excessive jewelry - more than one earring and two rings and the school has a no jewelry policy but the school is not unreasonable. The child can go with one earring and the child can wear a watch. So that school has a no jewelry policy. Its clearly written in the rules, these rules are given to parents so they clearly
understand. Last school year already the child was told to take off her jewelry and the mother complied. For some unknown reason now, I don't know why, I can never get into the mind of why parents do things, and the mother started to send the child back to school with jewelry."
Keith Swift,
Aren't punishing this child for the sin of the parent?
Clemente Wade,
"I don't think so in the sense that this can be resolved very quickly. It won't even take a couple hours to be resolved, you see what I am trying to say. So no, I don't think we are punishing this child."
As easy as that - so why doesn't Natalie Coleman take the ring off her daughter's fingers so she can return to school? Well she says the problem is more than just jewelry.
Keith Swift,
Why don't you just take off the rings?
Natalee Coleman,
"I don't mind taking off the rings but I don't want her beating my child with any stick because I don't beat my child with a stick. Leave me to beat my child because I don't want anyone beating my child at school."
Wade disputes the allegations of abuse. He says there is no evidence of it - and if there was - the mother should have reported it to the school's management. Wade says it was his decision to take the seven year old out of school.
Clemente Wade,
"We advised the principal that if this is a situation that is going to get rough, she had our permission to have the child removed form school and according to law - report it immediately to the Ministry of Education which we did. The object is not to expel the child as such, the child was given a transfer."
But while Natalie Coleman and school managers battle over jewelry and allegations of abuse - the real casualty is 7 year old Yolanda.
Keith Swift,
What are you going to do?
Natalee Coleman,
"I don't know what I am going to do because I want my child in school...so I don't know."
Keith Swift,
Again you can accomplish that by just sliding off the rings.
Natalee Coleman,
"I don't mind taking off the rings but I don't know if she will take her back. I will take the rings off her hand if she will take her back. If she doesn't want her back then I don't know what I will do with her."
Keith Swift,
Keeping a 7 year old out of school because she is wearing an extra ring seems outrageous to me. Why have we come to this?
Clemente Wade,
"We know that the rings can be very easily removed but sometimes you have to preserve order. If every parent was allowed to operate at their whim in anyway they think they should make their children operate within the school, then we would have a whole different problem of teachers not even being able to teach because all they'll be trying to do is keep order."
Keeping order - except in this case it may be at the expense of a 7 year old girl.
Catholic Schools General Manager Clemente Wade and the school's principal say they have a transfer form. Of course they fail to mention that the child would be transferred in the middle of a school year. We'll keep following the story.
