Mothers of boy children at Curro Aurora in Sundowner, Johannesburg, were left fuming after they were excluded from a school event in celebration of Women’s Month.
The private school hosted a Moms and Daughters: Wellness Morning event on August 31 in celebration of Women’s Month, inviting only mothers with daughters.
“Come and enjoy yoga, zumba and other interactive activities! Dress in your daughters’ house colour to earn points for her house. B-Active will host age-
appropriate activities for preschool mums and daughters,” reads the invitation.
Some of the parents approached the school to complain about the exclusionary nature of the event, with others writing to the executive of the school on August 22.
“It is unacceptable that in 2024, an event celebrating women would exclusively cater to mothers and daughters, thereby excluding mothers without daughters from the festivities.
“Furthermore, I am appalled by the response from the marketing team when this issue was raised. One of the parents was advised to attend the event with her mother or sister instead. This suggestion is not only inadequate but also deeply insulting,” said the parent.
“It fails to recognise the core issue and reflects a troubling disregard for the inclusivity and respect that should be a fundamental part of such celebrations,” complained the parent.
She urged Curro to address the matter urgently and ensure that future events are designed to include all members of the diverse community.
“All mothers deserve to be celebrated, regardless of their children’s gender, and their contributions should not be diminished or overlooked.”
Responding to the letters, executive head of Curro Aurora, Joanne Quick, said the intention of the event was “to bring together all women and girls in our school community to celebrate Women’s Month by attending a wellness morning focused on women”.
“I believe there may have been a misunderstanding when we advertised the event as a ‘Mother-Daughters’ morning. By using these words, it may have been perceived to exclude our mothers without daughters who attend Curro Aurora. This was not our intention at all,” she said.
“We apologise for this misunderstanding and would like to confirm that if you would like to attend the event with your son, you are welcome to do so.”
Some of the parents responded as follows: “We would appreciate it if the corrected communication clarifying the error could be sent before the event on Saturday to the entire school community to ensure everyone is informed.”
Quick instead requested a meeting with the parents. “The invitation to meet the parent/s who make up the group of ‘concerned parents’ has been extended and I await for those who would like to accept this offer to contact me,” wrote Quick.
When the parents said it would not be possible to get all the mothers to meet at such notice, Quick then requested the name and contact numbers of a contact person for the parents.
No communication was issued to deal with the issues raised.
Pressed for comment, Quick said Curro was glad that the Wellness Morning was a great success and positively received by those who attended.
“Despite an offer from the school to engage directly with those who raised concerns this invitation has yet to be taken up,” Quick said.
