Parents in the United States have expressed outrage over an anti-bullying workshop which was held at Allegheny Middle School in Pittsburgh last week.

Deeply unsettled by the nature of the questions posed to children during the so-called 'kindness workshop', parents have called for the resignation of the school's superintendent, asserting that the exercise appears to have backfired considerably.

According to media reports, pupils were blindfolded and placed in the middle of a circle of peers before being asked questions regarding alcohol and drug dependency, their sexuality and family's financial status.

While parents were informed that a workshop would be taking place, many insist they were unaware their children would be subject to an interrogation of their beliefs and perspective on issues including religion, immigration and disability.
 


Commenting on the issue, Lauralee Nuckles, whose daughter was reluctant to return to school following her involvement in the exercise, insisted that the workshop was counterproductive, asserting: "These students were victimised. Now these kids who bully people on a regular basis just got a whole lot more information to do it with."

Echoing these sentiments, Pamela Brosovic, whose nephew also participated int the middle school workshop, insisted: "That’s a violation, a huge violation. That’s very personal stuff."

"Eighth-graders have a hard time right now. It’s a crazy world," she said while reflecting on the possible repercussions of the event. "They get bullied in school. They get bullied on social media."

Defending the workshop against critics, Superintendent Jerri Lippert explained: "This activity was conducted because we are advocating that all of our students be educated in a safe and nurturing environment, free of judgment, prejudice and bias, so they may learn and grow to their fullest potential."

"West Allegheny School District fully supports the decision to take a stand against the growing epidemic of student bullying and the administrators and supports the teachers whose intentions were to interrupt systems of discrimination," he continued.

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