Atlanta, GA — Graduation day at Drew Charter School was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

But it quickly went south after an argument about the school’s policy against wearing open-toe shoes left one mom facing charges after she allegedly struck a school administrator.

WSB-TV reported, “Several students at Drew Charter School did not receive their diplomas on the special day because school officials said the shoes they were wearing were not in line with the school’s dress code.”

The Atlanta Public Schools Police Department sent an officer to Drew Charter on May 22 around 8:45 p.m. The officer was greeted by the facility manager who told the officer about “an irate parent in the auditorium cussing and yelling at staff members.”

When the officer entered the auditorium, they noticed a woman wearing an all-black dress who was “very irate” and cursing at the school’s principal. The officer tried to calm her down, but she continued yelling. The woman, who is Black, said “Drew is a racist school” and said the administrators were “Uncle Toms.”

“She went on, to state that her daughter was a “Star Student” and the administrators were “picking on her.”

The officer asked the mom why she was so upset. She explained her daughter called her from the auditorium and said she wasn’t getting her diploma because she wore open-toed shoes. The officer asked her if she became physical with the administrators and she said, “I would never do that.”

The mother left the campus. When the officer returned to the auditorium, staff members told the officer that the parent had pushed the administrator in the head.

The administrator told the officer they were pushed twice. He noticed “a small contusion” on the administrator’s forehead. The administrator declined medical attention but did get an escort home.

The officer reviewed the school’s camera system. She saw the mom walk into the auditorium at 8:44 p.m. The video allegedly showed the mom approached staffers “in an agitated state,” swinging her arms and unable to be restrained by her husband. The officer says the video showed the mom strike the administrator in the head with an open hand, twice.

The officer secured a warrant against the mother for simple battery. It’s not clear whether the mother has been arrested.

WSB-TV reported that school officials sent out the dress code weeks before graduation.

Parents who talked to the station criticized the policy against wearing open-toed shoes, saying that students had a tough year and the school should’ve cut them some slack.

“School officials told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes they’re upset about all of this but they made it clear to parents and students this would happen if they didn’t follow the rules,” WSB-TV reported.

To read that story, click here.

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