A mother said she was left "shocked" after she claimed she was charged for her daughter's lunch on the day her school was placed into lockdown following an incident in which three people suffered stab wounds.
Two teachers and a fellow pupil were hospitalised following an incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford on April 24.
A 14-year-old girl was charged with attempted murder following the incident and is next due to appear in court in August.
The mother, who asked not to be named, claimed that she was invoiced for her daughter's lunch, despite her daughter allegedly being told food from the school canteen would be free on the day of the incident.
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford was placed into lockdown following an incident in April (Image: Newsquest) She said: “If she needed money I would have transferred it. It’s the fact they told her it was free. It’s the principle. She had a drink and cookie.
“Then I received an email saying she had arrears. I thought that was odd because she takes packed lunch. I asked the school reception about it, and they were shocked. It’s not the amount.
“It was a traumatic event, and I didn’t agree to paying for the lunch. My daughter said it was free. It’s wrong for Carmarthenshire County Council to charge money on such a traumatic day.”
Furthermore, the mother is not happy with the communication she received from the school on the day of the incident.
She added: “The school never told me anything. We were left totally blank. I was just happy that my daughter had her phone on her and was texting me. They needed to have some thought for the parents waiting outside the gates.
“Afterwards, the school was amazing. I’ve had many emails asking if my daughter is ok. I just hope they learn to communicate better in the future.”
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman headteacher James Durbridge said: “The events of April 24 were extremely challenging and distressing for our entire school community. Our foremost priority will always be the safety and well-being of our students and staff.
“All communication during the incident was aligned with the ongoing police investigation to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved.
“Regarding the issue of lunch charges, we want to clarify that the school is not aware of any staff members stating that pupils would eat for free on that day, other than those already eligible for free school meals.”
A spokesperson for Carmarthenshire County Council said: “It is possible that the parent has received an automated arrears email from the ParentPay online payments system.
“We ask any parent who feels that they have been charged in error for school meals to contact the School Meals Service via schoolmeals@carmarthenshire.gov.uk for this to be resolved.”
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