A parent whose child attends Clonbrook Primary School has alleged that she was initially denied the government’s cash grant and that teachers openly discussed her daughter’s medical condition before eventually issuing the payment after she began recording the encounter.
The parent told Kiskadee Watch that the incident occurred during the school’s distribution of the cash grant to parents.
According to the parent, she accompanied another parent who had also been told she was ineligible to receive the grant because of her child’s attendance record.
She said the other parent explained that her child had missed school due to illness and that the absences had been communicated to the class teacher. However, school staff allegedly questioned why the child should receive the grant.
“When they told her she couldn’t get it, I went live because I felt it wasn’t right. The money is for the children and nobody should be denied like that,” the parent said.
She further alleged that when it was her turn, teachers also questioned whether she should receive the payment because her daughter had been absent from school.
The parent explained that her daughter suffers from epilepsy, which at times requires medical appointments and periods of recovery following seizures.
“I told them my child is epileptic. She has seizures and attends a clinic. Sometimes after a seizure she needs several days to recover before returning to school,” she said.
According to the parent, a teacher responded that no medical documentation had been submitted to the school.
The parent maintained that when she enrolled her daughter at Clonbrook Primary earlier this year after transferring her from a private school, she had informed school officials about the child’s diagnosis and learning challenges.
She said she was particularly distressed when, after disclosing her daughter’s condition during the discussion, several teachers began discussing the child’s medical history within earshot of other parents waiting to collect the grant.
“I felt ashamed because everybody was discussing my child. That’s my child’s private medical information,” she said.
The parent also said that one teacher commented on her appearance, questioning why she was seeking the grant while wearing jewellery.
“They said I had on a gold chain and asked why I was running down the cash grant,” she said. “They don’t know what people are going through.”
The parent said she only received the payment after taking out her phone and indicating that she intended to livestream the interaction on social media.
“It was only after I started recording that they told me to come back and collect the cash grant,” she said.
She added that the experience left her concerned about how her daughter may now be treated at school.
“I don’t even know if I want to send her back because I’m worried about how they will treat her after this,” she said.
Beyond the incident, the parent described the financial and emotional strain of caring for a child with epilepsy, explaining that transportation, medication and specialist appointments place significant pressure on her household.
She said the cash grant provides welcome assistance but maintained that parents should not have to justify their financial circumstances to receive a benefit intended for schoolchildren.
“The money is for the children,” she said. “People shouldn’t have to go through that.”
Kiskadee Watch has contacted the Ministry of Education for a response to the allegations surrounding the distribution of the cash grant at Clonbrook Primary School, including the reported handling of parents, the criteria used in determining eligibility, and the alleged disclosure of a student’s confidential medical information. At the time of publication, a response was still being awaited.
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