Single mother told she couldn't attend father-daughter dance
ATLANTA, Georgia (KTRK) -- An Atlanta single mother said she was shocked when she said she was banned from attending her child's father-daughter dance.
Amy Peterson said her 6-year-old daughter Gracie had been looking forward to the dance for months. Peterson even dressed up and painted on a beard, but she said an hour before the dance, she received a phone call from the principal.
"She said, 'No. I forbid you to come and if you show, we will turn you away,'" Peterson said.
The district said other single mothers asked about attending the dance, but they were told only a father figure could attend.
"To me, I've identified myself as her father and her mother because that's what I've done for six years," Peterson told WSBTV.
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Peterson had to tell her daughter that she couldn't go.
"How do you explain that to a 6-year-old? You can't go to a dance because you don't have a male role model in your life," she said. "I think they handled it poorly. They shouldn't have turned any parent away."
Henry County schools told WSBTV, "The school is cognizant that different dynamics exist across households in our school system. There are multiple parent engagement events and opportunities to participate with their kids annually at this school in an effort to make that connection and build school spirit."
The school district told Peterson that there's also a mother-son dance and a sweetheart's dance around Valentine's Day, but Peterson said that wasn't enough.
"If you don't want things like this happening, put parent-child dance. Don't put a stipulation on it's a mom or a dad," Peterson said.
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