The power of one.

[Gob]

Furious parents have blasted a headteacher who banned them from taking pictures of their own children during a school play after a single complaint.

Pupils in their final year of primary school had been working hard for the last month on their end-of-term production of ‘Oliver!’

And on Tuesday 100 proud parents crammed into Blackheath Primary School, in Sandwell, West Mids., with their cameras ready to capture the occasion.

But just a few minutes before the performance was due to start, headteacher Lesley King announced nobody was allowed to film their children because one parent had complained.

Stunned mums and dads said the decision had left them and their children extremely ‘upset and disappointed’.

Geoffrey Pearsall, 48, who’s son played one of the workhouse children in the play, said: 'No-one could quite believe it.

'All the parents were looking at each other in amazement. They were not happy at all.

'This is the children’s last year in junior school and the last time a lot of them will ever see each other again.

'If one parent didn’t want to have their child filmed then that pupil could have had a lesser role.

'At the very least the school could have filmed the production and distorted the face of the pupil concerned. It’s not hard to do these days.

'But it doesn’t seem fair that we’ve got no record of it to show our son when he is older or his grandparents.'

Another parent, who did not wish to be named, added: 'Everybody was pretty upset by the decision - it was really disappointing.

'I wanted to capture the moment on film so I could make the play an everlasting memory for my son.

'But because of ridiculous red-tape these days - it put a real dampener on the occasion.

'My son said after ‘did you get any pictures of me?’ and I had to explain why I hadn’t.'

Headteacher Lesley King confirmed parents had been asked not to take any pictures or video footage during the production.

She said: 'We had an objection to people taking pictures and videos for reasons that are confidential.

'I asked if parents would respect that and they did.'

[Jarlaxle]

Solution here: EVERYONE pull out cameras and snap pictures as fast as possible!

[Gob]

Better solution, tell the kid whose parents objected that they are no longer in the play.

[loCAtek]

Objected, why? Were they Cherokee Indians who thought the camera would steal thier souls!?

Severe acne; what?

http://www.aquaboards.com/images/smilies/camera.gif

[Sean]

A message from the other parents to the complainer:

Consider yourself a cunt!
Consider yourself a target for everyone
We're waiting for you outside
It's clear, we're going to kick your arse!

[Crackpot]

Could it be that the flashes are a distraction to the one(s) giving the play?

Still this could be better handle by a polite request of no flash photography and and explanation but common sense is in short supply.

[loCAtek]

What about afterwards?

I was in a few school plays, and they allowed plenty of pictures of the players after the show was done. Shoot, the school photography club was there taking pics for the yearbook, during the performance!

[Econoline]

Those are two excellent suggestions that would have averted all the hard feelings and outrage this provoked. LoCa's has the advantage that if the problem was not just the flash, or if the lighting was such that photos couldn't be taken during the play without a flash, an after-the-play photo-op would have given any parents who objected the chance to remove their child from the premises.

[Rick]

Did the child of the complainer actually belong to them?

I've been to many school functions and have never really noticed the flashes from cameras, they are usually directed towards the stage...

[oldr_n_wsr]

While I do agree that the parents should have been allowed to take video/pictures, there is another side to the story. With all the crap posted on the internet, and the nutjobs out there looking at the stuff, and the nasty people (cyber bully's, etc) who would just love to make fun of any and all things they see on the internet, I can see the point of the person making the request.