A concerned parent in Perth, Australia, has reported an unsettling incident involving a “disgusting” Father’s Day gift brought home by his six-year-old daughter.
A Disturbing Suggestion
Trent Howard, the parent in question, revealed that his young daughter received a peculiar “gift” from her teacher at Connolly Primary School.
This gift was described as an “activity dice” designed to be rolled when feeling upset or in a “bad mood.”
One of the options on the dice featured a picture of a bullet that children were encouraged to color.
Above the image of the bullet, the text read: “Bullet — Take when all else fails.”
Suggesting Suicide?
Howard expressed his outrage, stating, “To create this, and distribute this, is disgusting.”
He went on to point out that the school’s gift seemed to suggest suicide at a time when mental health challenges and suicide rates are a growing concern.
Howard questioned the message behind the bullet picture, asking, “If you’ve had enough, shoot yourself. What else could that be interpreted to say?”
Howard’s wife, Renea, confronted her daughter’s teacher about the disturbing gift.
Just Not Funny
According to the New York Post, the teacher claimed it was intended as a joke, to which Renea responded, “It wasn’t funny.”
Dr. Bailey Bosch, a local psychologist, expressed her concerns, highlighting the potential impact on both children and parents.
She noted that children often take things literally and might be distressed by such imagery. Furthermore, some adults could be triggered by words related to bullets or death.
The Department of Education acknowledged that the activity was “clearly not thought through” and displayed a “serious lack in judgment.”
Apologies Were Made but Were Lessons Learned?
School administrators have issued apologies to parents, and Melesha Sands, Deputy Director General, Schools for the WA Department of Education, released a statement through NCA NewsWire:
“While I understand the activity related to confectionary, it was clearly not thought through and should never have happened. The school has since apologized to parents and will not be repeating this activity in the future.”
She continued, “The principal has also apologized directly to a parent who put in a complaint. I’d like to also apologize to parents and reiterate this activity was not appropriate for students, which has been discussed with the school.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
The post Suicide No Laughing Matter: Kindergartens Bring Home Father’s Day Gifts Featuring Disturbing ‘Joke’ first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / pathdoc
Source: 9News