Perth dad fuming after his six-year-old daughter returned from school with a ‘sick’ Father’s Day gift
Perth father furious after his six-year-old daughter returned from school with a ‘sick’ Father’s Day gift
- Daughter brought home a printed activity die as a gift
- One of the options was a bullet for ‘if all else fails’
A six-year-old girl returned from school with a ‘disgusting’ Father’s Day present, leaving her dad stunned and furious.
The student from Connolly Primary School in Perth’s north came home with a printed activity die that offered ways to cheer up dads when they were in a bad mood.
One of the options was a bullet – with instructions to take ‘if all else fails’.
Trent Howard said he was ‘disgusted’ that his six-year-old daughter was given an object that appears to promote suicide by a teacher at Connolly Primary School.
Perth father Trent Howard furious after daughter received ‘disgusting’ Father’s Day gift from teacher. Image: 9NEWS
“To create and spread this is disgusting,” he told 9News.
‘If you’ve had enough, shoot yourself’, what else could that be (can that be interpreted)?’
“I have a funny sense of humor, but that’s not part of anyone’s sense of humor.”
Mr. Howard’s wife, Renea, said the teacher told her the gift was a joke.
“It wasn’t funny,” she said.
A psychologist also warned that the incident could have far-reaching consequences for both the child and the parents.
“Children can take things very literally, it can play on their minds, they may not have the language to express what is upsetting them,” psychologist Bailey Bosch told Channel 9.
Ms Bosch added that adults can also be seriously ‘triggered’ by the mention of things like bullets and death.
The ‘suggestion’ on the activity dice caused a stir. Image: 9NEWS
The shocking incident comes amid a mental health crisis for young Australians.
According to Health Direct, around 1 in 7 children aged 4 to 17 in Australia have recently experienced a mental health disorder.
The WA Ministry of Education said the school had apologized to parents after a “serious lapse of judgement”.
“While I understand the activity involving confectionery, it was clearly not thought through and should never have happened,” Melesha Sands, deputy director general of Schools for the WA Department of Education, told NCA NewsWire in a statement.
‘The school has since apologized to parents and will not repeat this activity in the future.
‘The headteacher also apologized directly to a parent who had made a complaint.
‘I would also like to apologize to parents and reiterate that this activity was not suitable for students, which has been discussed with the school.’