 |
| Holli McCann |
A young British school girl was left devastated after she was kicked off of her school’s trip because she was in possession of chocolate bars.
Holli McCann, 11, ate a chocolate bar on the first night of her school trip on the Isle of Wight, along with two other roommates.
She described the secret snack in her first letter she sent to her mother, which was read by teachers despite being in a sealed envelope.
After reading her letter, teachers searched her room at the Beaufort House Hotel in Sandown, for more chocolate. They removed the lining of her suitcase and flipped her toiletry bag. “I was treated as if I was running an international drug smuggling operation,” the girl complained.
When teachers found more chocolate bars, Holli was thrown off the trip because she breached a term that bans chocolate.
The school called her mother, Kerri, urgently asking her to contact the hotel.
Yvonne Graves, director of the Bromet Primary School in Watford, Herts, told her what happened and asked her to come pick up her daughter immediately.
The mother of Holli urged her to reconsider, but she refused and said that if she was not picked up, Holli would have to attend all planned activities, but will not be allowed to participate in any of them.
As a result, McCann had to drive at night from her home in Croxley Green, Herts, to make the 160 miles round-trip to collect Holli.
The unemployed 47-year-old, who is a full-time carer for her autistic son, had saved for six months to pay for the school trip and was forced to borrow money from friends and family to cover her own travel expenses.
"It was not even midnight. They ate chocolate at 9:30 pm, which took about 15 minutes. It's not like they were having a party or making noise. The teachers had no idea about that until they read the letter my daughter sent to me. I'm furious. Who gave them permission to read her letter? It's like being in jail. She is not five-years-old. She is 11 and deserves privacy in what she writes to her mother," McCann said.
The Hertfordshire County Council said: "Before the trip to the Isle of Wight, parents and students were asked to sign a letter of conduct that clearly describes how the students should behave during the trip. This is to ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe and enjoyable holiday.
It was clear that breaking any of the rules within the letter would result in parents being asked to take their child home, as was the case of this student."