An elementary school in Texas has parents' blood boiling over a policy some say is unfair and specifically targets moms who lack support systems. A TikTok video of parents being denied entry to graduation at Lowery Elementary School in Houston went viral because the moms were told they couldn't attend their kids' graduation because they had younger children with them who were not allowed inside. Unsurprisingly, the interaction outside the school got heated, as did a debate online.
There are arguments on both sides, but most people think the policy is pretty ridiculous, particularly if it refers to a toddler, who can easily sit on an adult's lap and takes up no additional space. A lot of people are talking, and most of them are pretty darn upset.
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The video begins with a school employee addressing an upset parent.
The viral TikTok shows a woman in a blue Lowery Elementary School T-shirt ushering people inside the school. The video indicates the celebration is a graduation, and of course, parents want to see their kids.
But the woman in blue promptly stops the mom recording, who seemingly has a child in her arms, and says, "Your baby cannot come in." The mom questions her, and she responds, "We don't have siblings in this party at all."
She then directs the mom to a group of other parents who were also denied entry because they had young children with them. The mom says she wants to sign out her daughter, but the woman in blue says she has to wait because she needs to get everyone else safely into the building.
The interaction stays relatively calm, but it is clear that the mother is unhappy, and a lot of people think she was right to be.
The mom joined a group of other angry moms who believed that the school was acting 'petty.'
A mom holding a toddler addresses another woman, who tells her the information was allegedly sent in an email ahead of time explaining that siblings would not be allowed at the graduation.
The angry mom claps back and says her son's teacher told her it was OK to bring her child along and that she put her daughter's name on the sheet as attending. She claims no one said anything, and now they won't let them in.
As moms, we get that had to be frustrating, heartbreaking, and honestly, pretty enraging.
The angry mom demanded a solution.
Like many moms, this woman says she doesn't have a backup plan. She is the one who cares for her kids, and there is no one else to watch her. Plus, she claims her younger daughter has been welcome the entire school year until graduation day.
She is emotional and starts to get loud in the video. She tells the school that figuring out how to accommodate parents is their job. She says they should spread out gradation over multiple days so everyone can come, or she suggests the school have resources available to watch the younger siblings so parents can attend.
"Until you find a solution, stop telling us no," the mom demands. "Find a solution that can work for everybody instead of just for you."
The video ends with a little girl sobbing because her mother didn't get to be at the graduation. The woman in blue reappears and tries to console the child. She rubs her face and comments in a way that, honestly, sounds pretty passive-aggressive.
The woman in blue tells the child she knows her mom is recording, and that's OK, but reaffirms that parents were told ahead of time with plenty of notice to make accommodations. The little girl's tears hit us right in the heart.
First, some people sided with the school.
Albeit the minority, some TikTokers believe the school was following protocol and the parents were in the wrong.
"The school informed these parents and the parents chose not to read it!!!! There are REASONS they did this. Stop blaming the schools," one comment reads.
A parent in the district commented, suggesting that parents definitely knew ahead of time. "This is a Cyfair ISD school. My kids are in the same district- they do inform us no siblings! I'm not saying I agree but I am saying we are aware."
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Most think the policy is garbage.
For many in the comments, this isn't about school policy. Instead, it's about the needs of parents and the school not having any empathy for those without child care options.
"how about the single moms who can't afford to have people watch their kids all day," someone asked.
"Thank you for putting a spotlight on this. There's a toxicity with in communities of excluding young kids and it's wrong," another person wrote.
"I just get those what about the single moms and dads that don't have literally no one to watch the other kids and why not let their own siblings watch," another comment read.
A lot of people were just mad.
"I got furious just watching that! So I can only imagine how the moms who had to go through it felt! Shame on them," an angry TikToker wrote.
"I also seriously wanted to unravel when she was touching the little girl crying all passive aggressive …" someone else chimed in.
It is a lot to unravel, but the vast majority of social media users stand with the angry moms. If the school honestly told them it was OK to bring their kids and they have been welcome at the school the entire year but not on graduation, we feel for them.
No mom should have to miss out on such an important day. When kids walk across that stage beaming with pride, they should be able to look up and find their parent's face in the crowd, no matter how many younger siblings they are holding on their lap. Some of us legitimately don't have child care options, even with advance notice. It's part of the burden of motherhood.
