Parents at a school in Melbourne’s east have rallied around a crossing supervisor in Melbourne’s outer east who was banned from high-fiving students after a parent complained.
The much-loved supervisor named John was restricted by Yarra Ranges Council after a parent from Mount Dandenong Primary School saw the high-five while driving past on Farndons Road.
“He seemed noticeably deflated for a while, but his spirits are definitely lifting,” oetition organiser Rohan Bradley told Today.
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Bradley said that parents at the school had checked in on John.
“I think with all this amazing support that the community is rallying up, and the attention from the media, the petitions are starting to get a lot of signatures,” he said.
“So hopefully that’s helping him to feel better about himself and realise that he is really valued and loved by us all.”
Bradley said students and parents in the community were in disbelief that the council would ban high-fives.
“This has been something that’s been going on for years now with John and the students,” he said.
“So yeah, it was it was a little upsetting and surprising.”
Bradley said most parents find John’s methods “very, very welcoming and a very warm part of their day.”
John himself has been cautious about speaking to the media, which Bradley says makes it even more important for the community to speak on his behalf.
“It’s important for the parents, like myself and many others and anyone else in the community, to raise this as an issue and to speak up, not just on his behalf, but on behalf of the student’s wishes and our own.
“I’m hoping this can come to a reasonable change of heart for the council.
“I’m optimistic that this exposure and the petition will, at least bring to their attention that there’s many of us that disagree with this ruling,
“If they can make such strong actions off one complaint, then we’re going to bring them thousands of complaints to counterpoint.”
“I think it’s a pretty tragic snapshot of where things are at at the moment.”
At the time of writing, the petition for John had gathered just over 1,000 signatures.
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