Some parents in Toronto are upset that a school’s message about Mother’s Day may not be as inclusive as it seems.
“Life does not come with a manual. It comes with a mom,” read the sign in front of KewBeach Junior Public School. The message was created by a Grade six classroom and was on display for the neighbourhood to see.
The problem? Some people say it’s exclusionary.
It was brought to the public’s attention when Charlotte Dobo, a mother whose children do not attend the school, came across it and posted it to a local parenting group on Facebook, CP24 reports.
According to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Grade six students at Kew Beach came up with the first quote in preparation for Mother’s Day this weekend in order to “share how much they care for and depend on their moms.”
Still, the school board has since taken the sign down.
“Upon feedback, the school recognized that this quote does not reflect the inclusivity of our community, and took immediate steps to address the issue,” the TDSB told Now Toronto in an email statement on Wednesday.
“While the school was trying to be responsive to some parents and community members by adjusting the sign, it will continue to mark Mother’s Day, along with other classrooms` across the TDSB. There has been no central direction otherwise.”
The sign was replaced with an acronym for the month of May:
M: Make This Month Count
A: Accomplish Your Goals
Y: You Can Do This
Since then, people online have shared mixed feelings about the situation.
“So Mother’s day is cancelled now too?” one Twitter user asked.
“I’m going to say you grew up in a happy, nuclear, family. Some of us didn’t. Some of us went through traumatic separations of our family unit. Imagine the week of school leading up to Mother’s Day when you don’t have a Mom or she ignores you,” another person shared.
