A mum from Florida was shocked when her four-year-old son was expelled from his private pre-school after she had moaned about the school on her personal Facebook page.
Ashley Habat had been running late for her son Will’s picture day at of Sonshine Christian Academy, and had mentioned to the school administrator that she felt she hadn’t been given enough notice.
The administrator explained that a note had been put in her son’s folder the week before, but Ashley was still annoyed.
She went on to her Facebook and complained to her friends, posting:
“Why is it that every single day there is something new I dislike about Will's School? Are my standards really too high or are people working in the education field really just that ignorant.”
While intended to be private among her friends, the post obviously wasn’t private enough as she received a call from the school the next morning, asking her to call into the office when she dropped her son off.
When she arrived, they told her that her son was no longer welcome at the school.
“They just felt like we weren't the right fit, parent relationship with the school, and that they didn't want him as a student anymore,” Ashley reported. “He had done nothing wrong.”
The letter of dismissal that the school sent Ashley stated that her “relationship with Sonshine did not get off to a very good start the first day of school.”
“You utilized social media to call into question not only the integrity but the intelligence of our staff.”
“These actions are also consistent with sowing discord, which is spoken of in the handbook you signed.”
Ashley feels she should have the right to complain to her friends on Facebook, and wishes the school had tried to work it out with her instead of excluding her child.
“I was in shock,” she said. “Why would you expel a four-year-old over something his mom posts on her private Facebook page only people on her friends list can see?”
The principal of the school refused to comment on the situation, stating that "this is private matter involving the school and a parent. Due to my concern for families, I am unable to comment on specifics of this situation.”
