No good can come from publicly shaming a six-year-old boy. That’s the lesson educators at Lincoln Elementary in Grants Pass, Oregon recently learned when the community stepped up in a student’s defense.
Nicole Garloff, mother of first-grader Hunter Cmelo, took him to school late due to her poor health and a broken down Dodge Durango. The boy’s punishment was sitting behind a cardboard screen in the lunchroom, segregated from all of his classmates.
Garloff stopped by the school during lunch only to discover him crying. She took a photo before leaving, which the grandmother later posted on Facebook.
Soon the school was flooded with messages from all over the country demanding an end to the practice.
Expressing his outrage, local radio personality Bill Meyer from AM 1440, started a campaign to get the family a reliable set of wheels. The Durango was deemed too damaged for repair, but a surprise was in store for the family.
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Rapid Repo and Collections, with help from other local businesses, donated a refurbished 2001 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. Kelly’s Automotive Service, who repaired the van, included free oil changes for a year and $100 in free gas.
The outrage on social media made a positive impact on School Superintendent John Higgens, who changed his policy for students who are tardy four or more times. They will make up work in a private space alongside a teacher’s aide with a positive tone.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KPTV)
Photo credits: (Top) Lisa McClease Kelly, Kelly’s Automotive Service (Lower) Laura Lucas Hoover, via Facebook