A man who has allegedly refused to send his Primary One son to school for nearly a month was arrested yesterday after he scuffled with school staff while demanding to see the principal.
The incident happened after the 43-year-old man met the principal at Precious Blood Primary School in Wah Fu Estate to demand a refund of meal payments since his youngest son had been absent. He was unhappy that he was given food coupons instead of cash.
The scuffle broke out when the man tried to return to the principal's room and was stopped by three caretakers.
Police said an eight-year-old girl who came out of a classroom during the scuffle was hurt. She, the man and two caretakers were treated for minor injuries. Police arrested the father and later released him on $500 bail.
The boy is the youngest child in the Aberdeen family, whose eldest boy is in Primary Six and daughter Primary Three in the same school.
Education and Manpower Bureau officials said they were considering issuing a warning or a school attendance order. A spokeswoman said a new school might be found for the boy if his parents were unhappy with the present one.
'My son [has] refused to go to school until the incident is settled,' the father said from his home at Wah Kwai Estate last night.