Shawna Steeves, the mother of an 8-year-old year girl named Meghan from Missouri, is making headlines after authorities at her daughter’s elementary school banned her from attending the father-daughter dance. An association for single mothers and widows moved by Shawna Steeves’ story has decided to throw Meghan a private party.
Shawna Steeves, the single mom of a little girl from Lawson, Missouri named Meghan, is making headlines due to the fact that a single mother is not allowed to attend a father-daughter dance at her child’s school.
Few weeks ago, Shawna Steeves, received a bright pink flyer from Southwest Elementary, which is an invitation to the annual father-daughter dance that is set to take place on February 6th.
The invitation stated that children without a father figure can invite an uncle or a grandfather. But 8-year-old Meghan asked her mother to be her date to the dance and purchased a dress to party with her friends.
Miss Shawna Steeves contacted the principal of Southwest Elementary who told her that she could accompany her daughter to the event. The mother said that she was thrilled to escort her daughter because her father left when she was really young.
But few days later, the 30-year-old single parent received an unpleasant phone call, where she was told that the school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) had overturned the principal’s decision. A very disappointed and angry Shawna Steeves told local media:
“One option they gave was that they [the PTO] would find a male substitute to take her, which was out of the question. She told me that she didn’t want to make kids feel like outcasts. But where did my daughter fit in all of this? They didn’t even offer me a chaperone position.”
The school’s principal has refused to comment on the story, but PTO president Kacey Collier did issue a statement where she explained that she did offer Shawna Steeves several options, which she declined. Collier said:
“Our PTO works very hard at creating events that give ample opportunity for all families to [participate] in throughout the year. Regarding the situation with this event there were several options given to this family and all families so that all Southwest elementary school aged girls are welcome to attend regardless of their family situation. Our goal is to keep this special event authentic. We offer many other events that are family oriented. Examples would be muffins with mom and donuts with dad, the family 5 k walk/run, pancakes with Santa, Trunk or treat and our mother son challenge. We are very proud of our organization and what we do for the students and our community.”
One week after the PTO refused to back down, Antonio DeLaCruz, a member of Missouri Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association, has announced that he will be organizing the “Meghan’s Dance” for daughters of widows and single moms.
Shawna Steeves’ story has sparked a debate online about the new definition of family and what society can do to accommodate everyone’s sensibility and journey. What are your thoughts on this controversy?
