My daughter’s school has HOLES cut in her socks – they should focus on teaching

The mother of a 12-year-old girl says her child was forced to cut holes in her socks.

Merissa Mclaughlin, 31, says her daughter was given a pair of scissors by staff at Hyde High School in Hyde, Greater Manchester, and told to remove the bows from her knee-high black socks.

2

The incident occurred on the child’s second day of eighth grade, Ms. McLaughlin said.

She wrote a sarcastic letter to school staff and posted it on social media for everyone to read.

The post has been shared more than 10,000 times and has generated more than 18,000 reactions.

In the tongue-in-cheek letter, addressed to a staff member, Mrs McLaughlin writes: “I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest appreciation for the life-changing guidance you have provided my daughter today.

“Who would have thought that something as insignificant as the bows on her socks could cause such a major disruption in her upbringing?

“Clearly I mistakenly thought that her focus should be on, I don’t know, actual learning.”

The mother goes on to praise the teacher’s “sharp eye for detail” and says it was “remarkable” how he “focused on those little bows, as if they posed a clear and present danger to her academic progress.”

“I had no idea that a little piece of fabric could have such an impact on her ability to do math, read or concentrate in class,” she adds.

“Thank you for opening my eyes to this important issue.”

Ms McLaughlin also indicated that walking around with holes in her socks would damage her ‘street cred’ and that she is now the target of teasing.

The mother continued: “Her friends now think we can’t even afford a decent pair of socks.

“What a great way to start the school year!”

Ms Mclaughlin said she tried to contact the teacher at 3:32pm and was told she would be called back.

She signs her letter, “Merissa, proud parent of a Sock Hole Advocate.”

The mother admits that uniform policy states that socks with solid black or white stripes are “not allowed”, but says many girls wore bows last year without any problems.

Mrs Mclaughlin told the Manchester Evening News The school has since called her to say she will be reimbursed for the cost of the socks, but the policy remains in effect.

Headteacher Rorick Houghton told the newspaper: “The school has high expectations of its students, and that includes expecting students to turn up in the correct school uniform.

“All changes to expectations for this year’s school uniform have been communicated to students and parents before the summer holidays.

“If parents or caregivers have any questions or concerns, we encourage them to contact the school so that a member of our leadership team can discuss these with them as soon as possible.”

2