Follow Up: The School Porn Incident
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BOY HOSPITALISED IN SCHOOL PORN INCIDENT SAYS: 'I really regret it now'
By Josephine Chew
IT was apologies all round yesterday over the porn VCD incident at a secondary school in the West.
When The New Paper spoke to Tom (not his real name) who had been discharged from hospital on Wednesday, he said he was sorry for the entire incident.
Sorry for watching pornography on the sly, sorry for his part in the VCD fracas, and most of all, sorry for lying to his parents.
'I really regret it now, it was definitely a mistake and I will never repeat it again,' said the 14-year-old.
And he's not the only one. The principal of the school has also apologised to the parents of the 17 boys.
It was in June last year that the then 13-year-olds had watched the pornographic VCD.
It caught up with them with a vengeance when the school found out about the incident.
Tom fell sick when he was detained with the other boys and had to be hospitalised.
According to Tom's parents, he became 3kg lighter over his two-day stay at the hospital.
He had been warded on Monday evening after a congenital condition affecting his intestines acted up after he went without water and food for seven long hours.
His first solid food was more than 24 hours after he fell sick.
And even now, he has to forgo his favourite food, fried chicken wings, because he can only have mild foods such as soup and rice.
Tom said he was not yet 100 per cent fit.
But, despite what happened, he is looking forward to school.
'I'm a bit angry at the school now over the incident. I asked for water at about 11am and the teacher said no. When the pain started at about 2pm I didn't say much - they'd think that I was bluffing anyway,' he said.
'But I want to go back to school. All my friends are there.'
He's even been keeping up with the homework so he won't be left behind.
'My friends know that I want to keep up so they bring my work over for me,' said Tom. His mother has taken four days' leave to look after him, the younger of her two teenage sons.
The tight-knit family hopes to put this incident behind them, although they are still none too pleased with the school.
'If he's done wrong, of course, he should be punished - there's really no question about that. But the way in which they handled the entire issue is what I'm concerned about,' said Tom's father.
'How could they deny that the boys asked for recess or drinks? My son is fully aware of his condition and how painful it can be when it acts up. Even if he hadn't told me so, I would have been sure that he had asked for water.'
But the one good thing out of all this? Well-wishing friends and visitors.
So far 20 friends have dropped by.
Said Tom: 'I'm really happy. And also happily surprised because I don't even know some of them very well yet they came over just to see how I was.'
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Principal calls, writes letters to say sorry
ON Wednesday, the principal of the school personally called parents of most of the 17 boys to apologise for forgetting to give the boys recess.
However, Edwin's (not his real name) mother was not convinced.
When Ms Tina R spoke to The New Paper on Wednesday, she was still up in arms over the treatment of her 14-year-old son.
'It's good that she apologised. But it's not enough, what I want to know is what is being done to make sure something like this never happens again.
The principal sent notes to the parents through the boys to apologise for the incident.
As Edwin is still not at school, the principal got his mother's fax number and sent one over, promising to mail a note the following day.
Ms Tina R, a businesswoman in her 30s, faxed a copy to The New Paper yesterday.
It read: 'We refer to the incident on Monday, 9 February 2004. In our haste to complete the investigation that day, we overloooked our students' need for food and drink during the period. We apologise for our oversight.'
The principal also asked Ms R to let Edwin return to school.
'We are concerned that (Edwin) has been absent fron school for these three days... his teachers and I are anxious for him to return to school to continue with his lessons. We will do our best to support him,' wrote the principal.
The apology made a difference.
'Sending this over shows that she really does feel sorry and I will consider sending my son back to school, especially since he's been begging to go back,' said Edwin's mother in a change of tack.
'But I don't know why she called the police without consulting us. Yes, it's only right that the school take action when our children do things that are wrong. But they need to behave responsibly.'
Another parent was less forgiving.
Ms P F, who also got a note through her son, said: 'What I want is for someone to take responsibility over this issue and for some change to take place. It's not only about my own son any more but every other student out there.
'I will not rest until something is done.' -
Sorry not Enough.
If the Kid said sorry, would the principal have let him off?
Let's call for the resignation of Tyrant Chamb Cherk Ing, Principal of Kentridge Secondary School. -
oversight???Originally posted by ShutterBug:BOY HOSPITALISED IN SCHOOL PORN INCIDENT SAYS: 'I really regret it now'
By Josephine Chew
IT was apologies all round yesterday over the porn VCD incident at a secondary school in the West.
When The New Paper spoke to Tom (not his real name) who had been discharged from hospital on Wednesday, he said he was sorry for the entire incident.
Sorry for watching pornography on the sly, sorry for his part in the VCD fracas, and most of all, sorry for lying to his parents.
'I really regret it now, it was definitely a mistake and I will never repeat it again,' said the 14-year-old.
And he's not the only one. The principal of the school has also apologised to the parents of the 17 boys.
It was in June last year that the then 13-year-olds had watched the pornographic VCD.
It caught up with them with a vengeance when the school found out about the incident.
Tom fell sick when he was detained with the other boys and had to be hospitalised.
According to Tom's parents, he became 3kg lighter over his two-day stay at the hospital.
He had been warded on Monday evening after a congenital condition affecting his intestines acted up after he went without water and food for seven long hours.
His first solid food was more than 24 hours after he fell sick.
And even now, he has to forgo his favourite food, fried chicken wings, because he can only have mild foods such as soup and rice.
Tom said he was not yet 100 per cent fit.
But, despite what happened, he is looking forward to school.
'I'm a bit angry at the school now over the incident. I asked for water at about 11am and the teacher said no. When the pain started at about 2pm I didn't say much - they'd think that I was bluffing anyway,' he said.
'But I want to go back to school. All my friends are there.'
He's even been keeping up with the homework so he won't be left behind.
'My friends know that I want to keep up so they bring my work over for me,' said Tom. His mother has taken four days' leave to look after him, the younger of her two teenage sons.
The tight-knit family hopes to put this incident behind them, although they are still none too pleased with the school.
'If he's done wrong, of course, he should be punished - there's really no question about that. But the way in which they handled the entire issue is what I'm concerned about,' said Tom's father.
'How could they deny that the boys asked for recess or drinks? My son is fully aware of his condition and how painful it can be when it acts up. Even if he hadn't told me so, I would have been sure that he had asked for water.'
But the one good thing out of all this? Well-wishing friends and visitors.
So far 20 friends have dropped by.
Said Tom: 'I'm really happy. And also happily surprised because I don't even know some of them very well yet they came over just to see how I was.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Principal calls, writes letters to say sorry
ON Wednesday, the principal of the school personally called parents of most of the 17 boys to apologise for forgetting to give the boys recess.
However, Edwin's (not his real name) mother was not convinced.
When Ms Tina R spoke to The New Paper on Wednesday, she was still up in arms over the treatment of her 14-year-old son.
'It's good that she apologised. But it's not enough, what I want to know is what is being done to make sure something like this never happens again.
The principal sent notes to the parents through the boys to apologise for the incident.
As Edwin is still not at school, the principal got his mother's fax number and sent one over, promising to mail a note the following day.
Ms Tina R, a businesswoman in her 30s, faxed a copy to The New Paper yesterday.
It read: 'We refer to the incident on Monday, 9 February 2004. In our haste to complete the investigation that day, we overloooked our students' need for food and drink during the period. We apologise for our oversight.'
The principal also asked Ms R to let Edwin return to school.
'We are concerned that (Edwin) has been absent fron school for these three days... his teachers and I are anxious for him to return to school to continue with his lessons. We will do our best to support him,' wrote the principal.
The apology made a difference.
'Sending this over shows that she really does feel sorry and I will consider sending my son back to school, especially since he's been begging to go back,' said Edwin's mother in a change of tack.
'But I don't know why she called the police without consulting us. Yes, it's only right that the school take action when our children do things that are wrong. But they need to behave responsibly.'
Another parent was less forgiving.
Ms P F, who also got a note through her son, said: 'What I want is for someone to take responsibility over this issue and for some change to take place. It's not only about my own son any more but every other student out there.
'I will not rest until something is done.'
worst than treatment of POWs under Geneva Convention
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This one is a real gem. I can now see Saddam Hussein at his trial when it begins, and his defence is "In my haste to run Iraq as I saw fit, I overlooked my opponents need to not have bullets in their heads"'We refer to the incident on Monday, 9 February 2004. In our haste to complete the investigation that day, we overloooked our students' need for food and drink during the period. We apologise for our oversight.'
Pathetic. But then, its just the latest in a series of "honest mistakes" -
The principal career is over... will she be removed soon
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bet the boy's gonna go back to watching porn once he comes out of hospital
