‘Country’s gone’: Dad fumes after being told by school he can’t pass a football around with his own son

A Queensland father was shocked when a teacher came up to him while with his son and explained the stunning request.

A Queensland dad has been left in complete shock after being told he couldn’t participate in a completely harmless activity with his son.

Dean said he was approached by his child’s teacher at a Sunshine Coast school, being sensationally told to stop passing a football around with his “footy mad” son before school.

The father was outraged and claimed his son’s teacher said it was “unsafe” and required supervision.

“He said, ‘Dad can we just stand over on the grass there and pass a ball to each other,’” Dean explained on the Today show.

“So we’re doing that for a minute of two and a teacher came over and started telling me about how it was unsafe to be over here and we had to be over with all the other children and sit down before school.

“She said, it’s not safe to be over here because you’re unsupervised at the moment, so we need you and your son over where we can supervise. And I said well look, I’m supervising my son, so no need to worry about his supervision, consider him supervised.

“She didn’t let up, she said ‘no, no, it’s not safe to be here’, and it’s unfair on the other children who don’t have their parents here at the moment to play with them.

“He just wanted to pass the ball with dad for a few minutes before school.”

Queensland Dad Dean was stopped from passing a football around with his son before school by teachers. Photo: Channel Nine.

Dean's describes his son as ‘footy mad’ at the moment and the pair were confused at the request. Photo: Channel Nine.

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That wasn’t the end of the saga.

As Dean went to put his son’s bag in his locker he noticed the deputy principal had taken advantage of the two being separated and approached the child about the incident, with another teacher also present.

His son was visibly upset by the approach and couldn’t understand why his dad would be in trouble for simply passing around a footy.

“I didn’t understand why he (principal) wouldn’t come speak to me. … I left at that point,” Dean said.

His son's teacher said the pair needed to be supervised. Photo: Channel Nine.

His son was later approached further about the incident, leaving Dean very annoyed. Photo: Channel Nine.

The Sunshine Coast school, which was not named, has according to the ticked off father, become extremely wary of students participating in physical activity.

“I know that after school they don’t want kids playing sport,” he said. “I think now the school’s pulled back, they don’t want kids playing on the playground, they don’t want them playing on the oval, on any grass patch. Now they come to the point where you’re not allowed to pass the ball to your dad.

“We just sort of bit our tongues, but when it gets to the point where someone comes over and tells you that you’re not allowed to be supervising your own child or they have to be supervising you while you’re supervising your child, that’s enough.”

Today show host Karl Stefanovic was outraged, scoffing over the incident he says is a sign “this country’s gone to the pack.”

“It feel like April fool’s Day, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s just so wrong, a father can’t kick a footy with his son or his daughter, it’s crazy stuff mate.

“We did reach out to the school and we got told we couldn’t kick the footy with them either,” Stefanovic sarcastically added.

Originally published as ‘Country’s gone’: Dad fumes after being told by school he can’t pass a football around with his own son