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There had to be a better way for the Gardendale Elementary School in Alabama to send a message home with one of its students.

So, there’s no wonder that a father is angry that the school “branded” his 8-year-old son with a smiley-face stamp on his arm with the words “I need lunch money,” reports AL.com.

Jon Bivens told AL.com that his son, a third-grader, still had a $1.38 balance on his lunch account during the last week of school. In the past, school officials would send an email alerting him that the account is running low. But for some reason, they chose to “brand” his son with the notice this time.

“When you start stamping a message on a child’s body instead of calling…it’s not okay,” Bivens told the news outlet.

Gardendale Elementary School Principal Laura Ware told AL.com that she was unaware of the incident. However, she stated that the lunch department uses stamps or stickers when there is no response to emails about a low or negative account balance.

Bivens denied receiving an email, and he didn’t plan to add more money to the account because the school term was nearly finished.

“It’s a form of bullying and shaming the kids,” Bivens stated to the news site. He added that stamping his son’s arm was inappropriate, even if he owed $100.

The principal said she wants to communicate “in a way that our parents are happy.”

In the future, she plans to send only emails to Bivens and other parents who share his sentiments.

SOURCE: AL.com | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

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Alabama School Stamps 3rd Grader’s Arm With “I Need Lunch Money”  was originally published on newsone.com