‘IT was an error in judgement and we humbly apologise.’
These the words of Heuwelland Principal Wynand Strydom, who spoke openly to the ZO about reports of learners sustaining mild injuries after being made to sit in a blistering hot school quadrangle before an assembly.
The ZO received several complaints from parents, angry that their children were made to sit in lines in the heat outside the school hall before allowed in, with varying reports of seared buttocks, headaches and mild sunburn.
In the midday heat on Wednesday, Strydom said the school’s teaching fraternity held a meeting during the last ‘free’ period of the day, and in that time the Grades 4 to 7 classes were asked to convene in the open air quadrangle before heading into the hall.
‘The Deputy Principal had the children sit down in their class rows in the quad. Within five minutes they were lead into the hall,’ said Strydom.
‘But in error, the heat of the paving was not taken into account and as a result some learners sustained scalded behinds.’
Preventative action
‘There was sincerely no intention of malice and the school has apologised to both the children affected, as well as the parents,’ he said.
Pictures surfaced of a young girl with red and inflamed buttocks from the event, and several reports of children who complained of headaches or mild sunburn were quickly reported to the ZO the following day.
‘We would never do anything to intentionally harm any of our pupils,’ said an emotional Strydom.
Meanwhile, the school has taken quick action to ensure no pupils are harmed by hot surfaces in future.
‘In reaction to this event we have learned something and have immediately written a ‘hot and wet surface’ policy into our schools management handbook,’ said Strydom.
‘This means that both hot and wet surfaces are to be inspected by a staff member and deemed safe before any activity can take place.
Secondly, we are in the process of investigating the construction of shade awnings over our assembly quad.
‘We will make sure that this does not happen again, and will take steps to protect our children always.’
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