Caroline, Houston, TX 77004

This school managed to turn a Christmas celebration into an exercise in exclusion. My child was denied a simple Barbie doll because gifts were reserved only for students with “perfect attendance.” While attendance may matter to administrators, singling out children during a holiday meant to represent generosity and kindness is cruel and unnecessary.This policy unfairly targets underserved families—especially children who miss school due to transportation or other hardships beyond their control. The emotional impact on a child being publicly excluded is something this administration clearly failed to consider.Adding insult to injury, parents were charged $3 for a holiday party, which amounted to one slice of pizza and no gift. I would have preferred to keep my child home and teach her what Christmas is actually about, rather than let a school lesson shame her.This was not motivating, not educational, and certainly not loving. Children will remember how this made them feel—and this school should be ashamed of that.