“Chwayita Mali and Jasmin Abrahams, please report to the Principal’s office,” the intercom boomed. “I repeat, Chwayita Mali and Jasmin Abrahams to the Principal’s office now please.”

I was scared. What did they want now? I tried to get up but my legs felt numb. This was it. We were going to get expelled.

Jasmin was waiting outside the staffroom. We went in together. The Principal told us to take a seat and introduced the Circuit Manager. They had the school’s Constitution laid out on the table.

“Girls, I hear there has been some unrest in the school and that you two are the leaders,” the man said. “Is this true?”

Why did they always have to ask cryptic questions? Of course this was true and not true. What were we meant to say?

“There has been unfairness and victimisation in the treatment of the students, Sir,” Jasmin, as I knew she would, went first.

“That’s nonsense man,” the Principal jumped in. “They are threatening to burn down my school and I won’t stand for it.”

“We are not planning anything. We only asked that you sit with us so we could talk about these things with our parents present. And you have stalled and left us no choice, Sir.” I was getting angry again.

“You see … the way they talk to me. No respect. I won’t stand for it.”

The Circuit Manager, after hearing our side of the story, asked us to step outside. We saw Mrs Karl go in. She was the VP. Something big was being implemented. We sat on the bench and waited our fate. This was it; we would be expelled – effective immediately.

It felt like forever before the Circuit Manager came out. He nodded to us and walked out. We didn’t know what to do. We sat there, holding each other’s hands, waiting. Then we heard yelling, and banging of things. Mr Graham stormed out with his briefcase and a little box.

“Be rational, Mr Graham,” Mrs Karl was calling after him, standing at the door.

“Too late now. They have corrupted everything. They always corrupt everything!” Mr Graham was yelling, as he carried on through the staffroom. He had really lost it.

I looked at Jasmin and she had the same look I had. What the hell?

“Mrs Karl, there is reporter at reception,” the secretary came to announce.

Jasmin! You sly fox, you have done it, I thought, as I jumped on to Jasmin to hug her.

“Well then girls, are you ready to share your story with the rest of the world?” Mrs Karl asked smiling. We were like kids on a sugar high, we couldn’t speak. “Come on then, as your Acting Principal, I say we go.”

This was the best thing ever. Just when we thought we would be expelled, our lives completely changed. The journalist was friendly and asked the right questions. We felt like we had done something good for all of us.

“Mrs Karl, now that Mr Graham has resigned, what is your first order of business as the Acting Principal,” she asked.

“Well, that is clear. We need to revisit our Code of Conduct and make sure it is inclusive of everyone’s rights to their language and their culture.”

“May I have a photo of you please, with the girls?”

We stood there beaming at the reporter, Jasmin’s hair all brown and shiny, and me, well, my afro stole the shot.

***

Tell us: What kind of things do you think should NOT be on a school’s Code of Conduct’?

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