Читать книгу The Full Ridiculous - Mark Lamprell - Страница 14

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Dear Ms Bowden,

We felt it was important to write to you about this matter concerning our daughter Rose prior to our meeting tomorrow, essentially because there are things we want to say to you that we would prefer not to discuss in front of her.

Firstly, we want to be clear with you that we do not condone violence—physical or verbal—and we believe it is inappropriate and inadequate behaviour, no matter what the context for it. We have had intense discussions with Rose about the use of physical force to resolve conflicts, and she acknowledges that it is unacceptable.

As you know, Rose is depressed and emotionally unstable at the moment, and not always able to employ the intellectual tools she should use in a situation like yesterday’s. She is suffering from depression, which began about six months ago and has manifested itself in a variety of behaviours. You may recall that the study on Eating Concerns and Body Image in which she participated late last year alerted us to the fact that her problems were more significant than we had originally thought. She is currently being treated by the St Jude’s Hospital Adolescent Unit. We are most grateful for the school’s contribution to the effort to help her and we believe that her improvement, in particular her willingness to face and resolve her problems, is directly related to the tremendous support Rose has received from everyone involved in her care at Boomerang.

We are deeply concerned that expulsion will equate in Rose’s mind to abandonment, particularly because she perceives that the issues of injustice which underpinned the argument, and which were the provocation for her to act violently, will have gone unnoticed.

Those issues include: the exclusion of another student (Ursula O’Brien) from the French tour because of complaints about her ‘moral character’ by Mrs Pessites to Miss Crowden Clark (Mrs Pessites confirmed to us that she believes Ursula O’Brien to ‘have low morals’); and the racial and sexual nature of Eva Pessites’ comment to Rose during the argument that Rose should, ‘Go and suck your boyfriend’s black c—.’ Rose’s boyfriend is African-South American. She has encountered a great deal of racial prejudice while going out with him, and is deeply distressed by it. Furthermore, she is disturbed by the implication that she is in an active sexual relationship with this boy, which she is not.

These are issues which Rose feels strongly about, and to which she responded during the argument, albeit highly inappropriately. These are also the issues that will be raised in court if we need to defend Rose from an application for an Apprehended Violence Order, which Mrs Pessites has indicated she will seek.

We understand that you have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all students and that Rose’s actions have compromised your ability to provide that guarantee. We promise you that Rose will never again use violence against another student.

We are praying that the compassion and caring which is the reason we chose Boomerang for Rose, and which recently has been so much a part of her healing process, can be offered in response to this situation. We are the desperate parents of a girl in danger. We have always believed that if you give a child enough time and unconditional love, you can get them through anything. However we appear to have lost our way with Rose. We beg you, and the school, not to forsake our girl.

Kind regards,

Wendy Weinstein and Michael O’Dell