Parents, teachers and even a janitor have berated their school director for forcing young students to hoist the national flag outside during a dangerous storm, forcing the principal to offer an apology.
Parents of students at Ban Hin Kob school in Pathiu district, Chumphon province, aired their anger after the director ordered three Prathom 6 (grade 6) students to lead the regular hoisting ceremony before morning classes while a storm was pounding the school on Friday last week.
The three students were sheltered under three umbrellas, but that was unacceptable in the prevailing unfriendly weather conditions, the complaint said.
A teacher who disapproved of the director's actions recorded a video of the flag raising and posted it on TikTok. It went viral over the weekend.
"The director cared more about the flag than about the children," the accompanying message said, in Thai. "They were completely soaked. As a teacher, I was devastated."
The teacher, whose name was not disclosed, later took down the video. It was speculated she was compelled to do so by the school principal.
Parents told Thai PBS on Monday they had not been happy with the school director for some time, even before the flag raising incident. They accused her of over-punishing students. They had threatened to move their children to other schools, but changed their minds for fear that Ban Hin Kob school would be shut down for good if there were too few students on the roll.
"Who would take responsibility if lightning had struck the children?," a parent of one of the three students asked, refusing to give a name.
School janitor Sothorn Phokheree went outside in the storm to provide the umbrellas to protect the students. He also criticised the school boss, telling Thai PBS: "I don't understand why the director had to do this. I have never seen anything like this."
One of the students told the public broadcaster that he was forced by the director to go outside to lead the ceremony. "I was scared of lightning strikes," the boy said.
The name of the school director was not disclosed. However, on Monday a woman using the Facebook page name Jeeraporn Sanguanchart posted an apology.
Ms Jeeraporn said she had met the parents of the three students to apologise over the incident. Her intention had been to do everything right on the first day of the new school year, which was Friday.
"That was a huge mistake on my part and I take responsibility," she said. "I would like to apologise to the students and parents and also to all school board members for damaging the reputation of the school."
Ban Hin Kop is a small school with pupils from kindergarten to Prathom 6. The total enrolment was not reported.