The distribution of a document to students at a prominent high school in St Andrew, aimed at jolting them into conforming to ladylike behaviour, has earned the wrath of a few persons who claim the correspondence was inappropriate.

Students at The Queen's School, a public all-girls secondary-level institution, were punished with a de facto daylong detention last Thursday after being handed correspondence, titled 'A Letter To You From Satan', from sixth-formers, with the blessing of administrators.

Fourth-formers were reportedly punished after dozens of them mocked a woman clad only in a nightgown who entered the campus some time after 3 p.m. last Wednesday. The woman was believed to be mentally ill.

Tough action was taken against the entire grade 10 block, The Gleaner has learnt. All-day detention was enforced. They were forbidden from going to the canteen - lunch, instead, was brought to their classrooms. And they were issued two letters, the second of which was geared to be a chilling warning of the consequences of their behaviour.

"Come on, Fool, let's burn together. I've got some hot plans for us," Satan, the narrator, tells the students. "This is just a letter of appreciation from me to you. I'd like to say 'thanks' for letting me use you for most of your foolish life. You are so gullible. I laugh at you.

"All you have to do is smoke, get drunk or drink while underage, cheat, gamble, gossip, fornicate, and lie, being as selfish as possible. Do all of this in the presence of children and they will do it too. Kids are like that," the letter, apparently geared at achieving reverse psychology, continued.

Parent's rage

But one parent, who requested that her name not be published, is upset at the tenor of the letter and deplored the administrators' strategy of urging good conduct through scare tactics.

"This was evil! If they are sending a message across, it should be based on wisdom, in terms of how you should live," said the parent. "They should have had a meeting and said, 'Children, this is not the way you should be operating,' and let them know that there is still hope in terms of behaviour."

However, school principal Carole Jackson defended the action, but declined to speak in detail on the incident.

"If parents read letters to their children more often, it would be good.

"If parents have concerns, they should come to the school. Come to the school!" said Jackson, who said she had received no formal complaints.

The silence punishment, during which no lessons were taught, also cut into half the lesson time last Friday. More than 200 students from seven classrooms were affected on both days.

The letter, through the use of sarcasm, informs students that Satan understood that, although God had great plans for their lives, he, Satan, would give them "living hell". The narrator-devil also makes it clear that he hates God and would use the students to get back at Him for being kicked out of heaven.

"This will really hurt God. Thanks to you, I'm really showing Him who's boss in your life with all of the good times we've had," the letter stated. "I still hate you. It's just that you'd make a better fool of Christ."

On the underside of the letter is an A-Z appeal for students to love and praise God and appreciate his involvement in their lives. It has also been used in devotions, the principal said.

"I think it's stupid. I was wondering if they were crazy or something," said a grade 10 student, whose name has not been published because she fears sanctions. "It's horrible, crazy."