Don't mess with the state

The Mini Cheddar Martyr has been expelled...

Boy, six, suspended from school after taking a packet of Mini Cheddars in his lunchbox has now been EXPELLED because parents vented their outrage in the press

In stories like this, there is sometimes more than meets the eye. Perhaps the lad has been expelled for some more serious crime than eating cheesy snacks?

The school has insisted a pupil was not excluded 'for just having Mini Cheddars in their lunchbox'...

A-ha!

...but because there had been a 'persistent and deliberate breach of school policy, such as bringing in crisps, biscuits, sausage rolls, mini sausages, scotch eggs and similar'.

And that really is it. No fighting, truancy or vandalism. This six year old has been expelled from school because he won't obey Big Public Health. Oh, and also because his parents have been exercising their freedom of speech...

In a statement the school said a pupil had been permanently excluded because 'during the course of a recent four day exclusion, the pupil’s parents made it publicly clear that their child would not be following the school's policy on healthy eating upon their return'.

No dissent allowed.

'I’m just devastated,' said Mr Pearson, last night. 'He rang and told me the decision had been made to exclude Riley permanently and we had given the school a bad reputation because of the media coverage.'

A case of shooting the messenger if ever there was one. Could it not be that the school's illiberal food policy and evil headteacher are what has given it a 'bad reputation'?

It beggars belief that a school would sacrifice a child's education because he eats what his parents want him to eat, but as I said in my previous post, you can't afford top mess with Public Health. Expect much more of this kind of thing as the years go on.