Volgograd school bars girl from New Year's show over unpaid fee, sparks teacher backlash

A pre-New Year celebration at a gymnasium in southern Volgograd ended in a loud scandal and the public targeting of a teacher. The cause was 250 rubles ($3 at current rates), which led to a schoolgirl being barred from the performance because her family forgot to pay. Officials quickly intervened, designated a culprit, and went quiet, yet the war in the classroom still continues.

We found out how the story ended, how it affected the child, and also asked experts: is it true that the system is never on the teacher«s side?

Alone on the bench: The celebration where it all started

The celebration where the story began was held on the last Friday of 2025. Between lessons, the second-graders were treated to a pre-New Year show—animators from «Smile Studio» were invited in costumes of Ded Moroz (Father Frost) and Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden). According to officials, the school organized the event with parental consent, collecting 250 rubles from each student.

Attendance was supposedly not compulsory, but almost everyone paid except the family of eight-year-old Zhenya. As a result—the schoolgirl was not allowed to attend the performance and was sent alone to the reading hall.

— The teacher told her: «If you have money—go to the cafeteria, if you have no money—go to the library.» Zhenya went out into the corridor, sat on a small sofa, and waited alone for it all to end. She was just bewildered: she didn«t know what to do at all,— a parent recounted.

Zhenya also couldn«t go home: there was an English lesson on the schedule, and at the end of the day, the party (this time with Zhenya) moved to a classroom—the children took part in a fairy-tale quest and received gifts paid for by the school.

«Mom, why was I punished like that?»: What outraged the parent?

Zhenya«s mother learned about the situation from her daughter. The debt was a surprise to the woman: she was sure she had paid the money and therefore forgot about the collection. The mother was outraged that the teacher had not warned her about the shortfall and instead sent the schoolgirl away.

— She came home and asks: «Mom, why was I punished like that?» I was in shock myself, I thought we had paid. Even if we hadn«t, well, she could have called me—I would have transferred the money or brought it myself, it»s not far to walk to the school.

The family has known the teacher for only six months: she was assigned in September to replace the previous class teacher. Although there had been no conflicts with the teacher in that time, the mother called it a difficult relationship.

— It«s hard to get through to her, others have complained about her too. Even when you ask her an elementary question, instead of answering she directs you to the child, like, »all the information is with the children.« And she herself only sent out the schedule, money collections, and homework,— says the mother.

She demanded an explanation and apology from the teacher: the latter allegedly simply ignored her. The next step was the deputy principal: she listened to the mother, promising to look into it. But, suspecting foot-dragging and not hoping for remorse, the parent escalated the matter—to the Department of Education and the media.

Reprimand for the teacher, reprimand for the deputy principal

After the media uproar, officials took up the case. Although they designated the teacher as the guilty party, they hinted that the mother could have arranged to pay the contribution «retroactively» herself, as others allegedly did. The teacher received a reprimand, the deputy principal—a formal note, and they collectively apologized to the mother. But the apologies weren«t enough for the mother.

— I gave them a condition, that they put in writing what measures were taken with the teacher and what punishment was handed down,— the woman said. — What«s the use of apologies if tomorrow she starts plotting against me and my daughter behind our backs.

The majority of the public (judging by a V1.RU poll) sided against the teacher. Some called the teacher incompetent, others blamed both sides, designating the child as the victim of the situation. But there are also those who took the teacher«s side, defending her from a quarrelsome mother.

From a selection of opinions on the conflict:

— In old Rus«, it was customary to visit, help the needy, and be kinder to each other. And now? Didn»t pay 250 rubles—kick the child, who is innocent in all this, with your foot.

— Why ruin the holiday for a child? They got fed up with the freeloading mother, and a little girl suffers. Ready to hang themselves over 250 rubles. Just speechless.

— I«m on the child»s side. It«s a shame that she has such a mother and such a teacher. The teacher could have called the mom the day before, foreseeing that it would be bitter and hurtful for the child. And the mom really could have missed the request to pay. Everything could have been resolved remotely.

— Everything starts small! First they forgot to pay 250 rubles, then they came to the prom for free, like first they didn»t like the dress, then they didn«t want to go at all, but then they decided to go anyway, but at others» expense (a case from personal experience)! So, dear parents, be respectful first of all to your children, don«t shame them in front of others with your cunning, don»t teach them to freeload from childhood!

«Those who work are never seen»: What does the teacher herself say?

We cannot name the teacher for anonymity reasons. It is known that she has devoted over 30 years to teaching children. Both parents and the gymnasium«s principal speak positively of her. However, reaching her by phone proved difficult for a long time. The phone was answered once by her husband, who explained the ignoring was due to stress and subsequent heart problems.

— She«s tired of answering all these calls: from the school, from well-wishers, and not only. This second-grader»s grandmother tried to confront her, called: «Come! I told you!» in a rude tone. Who would like that? I myself am shaking from all this.

A journalist managed to speak with her at the gymnasium. She admitted she wants to forget this topic as soon as possible, which is why she conceded in the dispute as soon as it began.

— If your child«s teachers are constantly being harassed, would you like that? Children sense it immediately. How does it happen: we hug, we love each other, everything is fine, and then—scandal.

She speaks positively about the second-grader: a diligent girl, a «good student». She says they hadn«t quarreled with her mother before. She also denies allegations of deliberate ignoring.

— No one ignored anyone. But you must also understand that I will not allow anyone to be rude to me. Would anyone like that? We are all people, we should talk to each other like human beings.

Other parents, among others, came to the teacher«s defense. They stated that reminders about the collection were sent more than once, including at a meeting, but some delayed until the last day. The teacher, however, has no complaints against the family and is ready to continue working.

— We have all sorts of parents. Sometimes they come, shout, swear. In the end, we part amicably. We are still a family with them, after all, and these are our children too—we pull through everything together.

«And only robots will be left in schools»: Opinion of an honored teacher

We asked history teacher and Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation Alexander Snegurov to analyze the situation. Drawing from his experience, he said that preparing holidays for a teacher is a big hassle, which is why they expect reciprocity from parents.

— Organizing holidays is very difficult, and here, of course, one must appreciate the efforts of the teacher who decides to do it and is involved. They are almost always overloaded, exhausted, and the object of criticism. The teacher«s troubles should be met with the goodwill of parents: if a small collection is announced, it»s better to respond without unnecessary disputes, understanding that the money is collected for the children«s needs.

If someone hasn«t paid their share—forgot or took a defiant stance—Alexander Snegurov advises teachers not to dig into their own pockets. But he also considers it a mistake to exclude a child from an event they could be allowed into without money.

— It«s better for a teacher not to put in their own money—our parents are forgetful, and they are unlikely to return it later. On the other hand, I also consider depriving the girl of the holiday inappropriate. Especially since it»s not a bus trip on an excursion where everything is booked by seats. And of course, one needs to look at the circumstances that prevented paying: need, illness, or arrogance, disregard for the school, irritation with a specific teacher. However, I personally would have put such an «unpaid» child on the bus.

However, no matter who is right here, taking the scandal to absurdity, in the opinion of the honored teacher, is not a solution. It will only worsen the situation when fewer and fewer people agree to teach children every year.

— The mother has already shown herself and her penchant for litigiousness. If she had conflicts in the past, then not paying the money could have been the last straw for the teacher in relations with the family. Although I believe that excluding the child from the holiday should not have happened, continuing to torment the teacher is also unwise. Yes, the teacher made a mistake, but try to act for years without any slip-ups! What does the mother want to achieve in the end—expelling the teacher from her job? The administration can do that, that«s how it goes. But if we follow such methods, soon there will be no one left in schools, and your children will be dancing at the New Year»s party with robots or with an animator for completely different money!

«We have no rights, only obligations»: What other teachers say

We also discussed the problem of parental permissiveness with ordinary teachers who wished to remain anonymous publicly. They have repeatedly encountered proactive parents, so from experience they avoid organizing paid celebrations themselves.

— What«s outrageous here is the mother»s irresponsibility. If she didn«t want to pay, she could have warned the teacher in advance. It»s almost certain that the teacher didn«t invite the animators, the parents did. We have no rights now, only obligations. And the only way to avoid such situations is not to participate in any paid collections.

The only chance for teachers to protect themselves in such a situation, they say, is to lie low and wait until the uproar subsides. Otherwise, the consequences for the teacher will be even worse.

— If the principal is strong—they will stand up for the teacher. If not, and the parents attack with a «storm,» then what is there to say? They don«t want to see anything bad in themselves or their child, and we have absolutely no rights. So all that»s left is to wait until the mother calms down.

How will the conflict affect the child? A psychologist«s opinion

The child here found herself between a rock and a hard place. The argument of the public siding with the mother was the fear that ostracizing the child could become a psychological trauma and grounds for bullying. We asked Yelena Suschenko, a clinical psychologist at the Volgograd State Medical University Family Medicine Clinic and the private school «Pokoleniye,» if this is the case.

— Child trauma refers to those events that a child«s psyche, due to age and the individual characteristics of that particular child, cannot process. The situation with the celebration is unpleasant for all participants, but whether it»s a trauma for this particular child is hard to say in the abstract. What does the child feel in such a situation? What is their attitude to this event? In any case, support is needed: both at school and at home—then there is every chance to overcome the situation without long-lasting distress.

When a child is set against the collective, it attracts attention, risking changing the classmates« attitude. Yelena Suschenko confirms this, but here the work of teachers with the children and the atmosphere in the class are important.

— If in such a situation excessive attention is drawn to the child in the collective—that is a certain risk related to the reaction of the other children. But here everything depends very much on the adults. Bullying is a problem of the class as a group, and the group is managed by the teacher, who can significantly influence the relationships and behavior of children. So the situation is very contradictory and its favorable outcome depends on how competently the adults act. If we ourselves show children how to resolve any contradictions by negotiating, respecting both sides« opinions, allowing that everyone reacts to the same situations differently and that»s normal, helping and supporting those who are more upset, seeking compromises—the chances are high.

What«s happening at the school now?

Everyone at the school already knows about the conflict. Many (including other parents) have come to the teacher«s defense. The principal doesn»t want to raise the topic: she admits she«s been »on edge« since the beginning of the year and is waiting for everyone to finally forget about the celebration.

— See this? (points to a blood pressure monitor) I start every morning with it. And the teacher too,— says the principal.

Second-grader Zhenya continues to attend classes. The principal claims her relationship with the teacher and classmates has not deteriorated. Her mother, however, does not intend to drop her claims yet: in her last conversation with V1.RU she stated her intention to seek a professional review of the teacher.

— All the news is against me: now everyone is trying to present the teacher as innocent and blame the parent. I am not satisfied with this,— declared Zhenya«s mother.

The teacher hasn«t personally met with the mother yet—there»s been no occasion. She continues to work as usual, doesn«t plan to quit, and only hopes it will all end soon.

— Every person has their own opinion. Who is on whose side—doesn«t interest me,— says the teacher,— I do my job as I should, and my main job is the children. Common sense always wins, no matter what.