When Chelsea Eichenauer received this letter from her son's school, Swegle Elementary in Oregon, she was mortified.
"My heart kind of skipped a beat a little bit. It’s pretty scary," she said.
The letter indicated to Eichenauer that if she (or any other parent) was to pick up her son from school the child would be given to DHS or Department of Human Services.
The wording was especially harsh. The letter read:
“Children must be picked up on time. If they are not picked up on time, we will call DHS and you will then have to pick them up at court the next day.”
Though it’s their job, schools don’t always act in the best interest of children. One school recently came under fire after its school bus driver abandoned elementary school students in the middle of nowhere.
Parents of Swegle Elementary students were outraged. The letter did not indicate if children would be turned over after 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or an hour. The threat seemed rather extreme. It isn't unimaginable that the many working fathers or mothers who pick their children up from school may run late from time to time, not to mention that being taken to a police station can be quite traumatic for a young child.
"It doesn’t strike the right tone,” admitted school spokesperson Jay Remy, who says it's unclear who initially wrote the letter.
See the school's response in the video below and SHARE what you think about the letter!
