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News: Fury as Farmers' Kids Told in School

Posted by web78377 - on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 @ 23:56:40 UTC

Milk News From Lesser Britain
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/2907

This story appears in today's Daily Post,
North Wales largest newspaper.

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Fury as Farmers' Kids Told in School
'Don't Drink Milk'
Jan 23 2008 by Hywel Trewyn, Daily Post

A school last night apologised for a teacher's "mistake"
after pupils were given a lesson encouraging them to give
up drinking cows milk.

Parents complained after children at Ysgol Dinas Bran, in
the heart of the Llangollen farming community, were given
a talk promoting soya-milk products over Welsh milk.

One, Trefor Lloyd Jones, was furious after his youngest
son Alun, 13, came home from the Denbighshire school on
Monday and told him about the class, given by animal welfare
pressure group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF).

The 46-year-old father-of-three, who milks cows and has
sheep at his farm, Rhydonnen Isaf, Rhewl, near Llangollen
said: "It was very biased and leaflets were given out to
the pupils asking for donations.

"I don't think that's right to go through young children
to get their message across against live exports and
drinking milk.

"The man told the pupils he hadn't drunk milk since 1962 and
showed videos to the class.

"I believe the lesson was highly sensitive and political."

Mr Jones said he had contacted the school and head of year
eight Neil Garvey had apologised to him adding that he would
be making enquiries.

Mr Jones said: "My son was quite agitated after the lesson.
Every time he had given his opinion he was talked down.

"Although most of the pupils in the food technology class
probably were not from farming backgrounds, the school is
situated in a rural area.

"I believe that both sides should be allowed to give their
opinions."

Last night the school's headteacher Alison Duffy apologised
to local families for the lesson – which she said had taken
place without the school's permission.

She said it "was wrong" for the teacher to have invited
the CIWF representative to the school without authority
and that she would be dealt with.

Mrs Duffy said: "We work very closely with local farms.

"We support drinking milk and we try to get our children
to drink more milk.

"It was a mistake by a member of staff who shouldn't have
invited the representative in.

"It was one teacher acting on her own.

"Nobody knew about it. It is against school policy. There
was no permission granted.

"If we have a subject to discuss which could be quite
alarming to some children, we always want to present the
case from both sides so children can make their own
decisions.

Mrs Duffy added: "We are very pro-farming. We support and
try to get our food and drink from local suppliers.

"We have quite a number of governors who are farmers. So
this is not school policy."

"I can't talk about what action will be taken against the
teacher. I would like to invite other people in and give
the other side to this argument.

"I will talk to the group of pupils to tell them that they
were given half of the facts and one persons opinion."

CIWF's Phil Brooke said the speaker was a retired
university lecturer.

He said: "We were invited in to the school by the teacher.
I've got an e-mail to prove it. The talk went really well.

"Our speaker was very impressed by the questions which were
asked. We are not a vegetarian association, we don't tell
children 'Don't drink milk or meat.'

"He was asked if he was vegetarian which he has been since
1984. Since then he normally drinks soya milk."

Mr Brooke said the CIWF was a "broad church".

"We produce a reasoned case for animal welfare.

"We have got together with farming supporters and the RSPCA
to end calf exports and looking to see farmers are paid more
to they are able to rear calves properly."

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The sense of my frustration is enormous. School principals
must remain sensitive to the whims of one parent because
witch hunt mentalities are certain to influence negative
results for all parties. Ultimately, the children are hurt.
One can be certain that the teacher in question will be
punished for her wisdom. One can also be certain that
the unlucky kids will have future biased pro milk agendas
forced down their throats.

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com