A 12-year-old boy is facing expulsion from school – after being accused of trafficking SWEETS.
Flavien Roger will go before a disciplinary hearing today morning after he was caught dealing Jawbreakers to pals in his lunchbreak.
The pint-sized entrepreneur pocketed 28 Euros (£23) from sales before over-zealous teachers shut down his illicit enterprise.
He told teachers at his French school that he hoped to buy a flat-screen TV with the profits.
Flavien, who has been described as a ‘model student’, could be permanently removed if he is found guilty of ‘trafic de sucettes’ – or trafficking lollipops.
His mum Sandrine blasted the school for its excessive over-reaction, which she claims is completely disproportionate to the crime.
She said: ”I was summoned on Monday by the school who told me there was a problem over the sweets.
”Flavien was obliged to write a confession for a file to be examined by the disciplinary council. He was treated like a criminal.
”When the college called they told me that my son had been detained for trafficking lollipops and that the principal wanted to see me urgently.
”At first I thought he was joking. I told the headmaster, ‘Well at least he’s not selling drugs’, but the headmaster was not amused.
“My boy is a good student who has never given any problems and there is nothing in the school regulations to say that he can’t sell lollipops.”
Flavien launched his ‘business’ last month after taking a box of Monster Jawbreaker on a Stick – dubbed the ‘Holy Grail’ of Jawbreakers – into the playground.
His father’s bakery in Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue, southern France is one of only two shops in the region that sell the sweets, and Flavien wanted to cash in on demand.
He managed to shift four boxes before teachers cottoned-on – and shut the operation down at Denis-Diderot de Sorgues College.
Flavien, of Avignon, near Marseille, said he started off selling the sweets as a favour to his friends.
And he added: ”This was too far for my school buddies to come and buy, so I started taking orders.
”It was a favour because you can’t find the candy anywhere else.”
Headmaster Jean-Pierre Lahutte, who will be conducting the hearing personally, yesterday insisted he was right to take decisive action.
”The problem with this is where is the limit?” he said. ”If today we allow a schoolboy to sell lollipops, tomorrow what will it be, cell phones, tomatoes?”
Flavien and his mother will attend a disciplinary hearing tomorrow at which the fate of his secondary education will be decided.
Sandrine added: ”I know that my son now faces a risk of being excluded from school but I do not accept that the charges refer to trafficking lollipops.
”I do not want that to dog him for the rest of his time in school someone might think he was selling drugs.
”Yes, he might have made a small mistake but this is completely disproportionate. A couple of hours of detention after school would have been enough.”
Mr Lahutte today stood by his bizarre decision – despite the fact that selling candy is not prohibited in the school rules.
”No matter,” he said. ”If needs be we will just add to the rules – set it out in black and white that that is indeed the case.”
A spokesperson for Dublin-based manufacturer, Zed Candy, said it was the first time they had heard of a pupil being threatened with expulsion for enjoying sweets.
She said: ”The only trouble we usually hear of with the Jawbreaker on a Stick is trying to finish it in one day.”
stupid @$$ frenchies. and they wonder why the whole world hates them.
What a stupid comment. The whole world? Really?
Yes. The WHOLE world.
no dumbass, not everyone hates them
Yes, Really!
I am French. It’s the Americans who are idiots – after all, they’re the ones who made the candy. How else do you guys get so fat?
Bit of a stretch Frenchi. TFA says Zed is based in Dublin. And I’m thinking it isn’t Dublin, Ohio.
Frenchie,
Too bad you guys haven’t caught on to soap yet.
Frenchie,
Too bad you guys haven’t caught on to soap yet.
You discipline kids for selling candy at school and you call us retarded? The irony is outstanding
Nice try. Unfortunately for you, Inspector Clouseau, Zed Candy is an IRISH candy company. I was able to figure that out with my meager American brain just by the use of 2 words – Dublin, and Zed (which no American has ever uttered unless they are doing an impression of an European or perhaps a New Zealander). Arrogant and stupid is no way to go through life, mon amie. (I pretty much regard most modern French as female these days).
or Canadian. Ecks Why Zed!
Uhm…Brilliant deduction Monsier Moron…Zed Candy, the manufacturer of the illicit sweet is based in DUBLIN, IRELAND. The Americans had nothing to do with this.
Frenchie…the candies were made in Dublin. That’s in Ireland. Not the U.S. Put down your cigarette and read a book.
Ironic is it not? According to the WHO the French (the last year they reported) had a Per Capita Consumption of Sugar of 41.2 kg. while the same year the USA consumed the most it did in ten years, a whole 32.9kg. so not only did the U.S. not make the candy the french eat more sugar… really if your goal is to look totally foolish your doing a great job.
You are so dumb!!! That is such a stereotype. Personally, I’m 11 and I see that you are really dumb…Get over yourself.
Frenchie is French… enough said.
I wish all childhood dreams could be crushed as quickly and stupendiously as Headmaster Jean-Pierre Lahutte. Thank god hes there to quickly crush the spirit of all who wish to better themselves. Thank you Jean-Pierre Lahutte your a tribute to the socialist joke of a country you live in. Enjoy your labor protests due to lack of a work ethic.
Do they even have a raisin to stop him? I wonder if they have a student store for buying snacks, then maybe its all about da monies that hes undercutting form them
but he was selling candy! if he was selling raisins, maybe that would be allowed.
Im so fricking glad im not french.. maybe if he was selling raisins they would have allowed it??!? WHAT?? wow…
dear frenchie. good job being ignorant. and stereotypical.
and french.
The world is going nucking futz!!
that’s crazy! a boy facing expulsion from selling candy! so what if he’s french or american or an alien! he should just face detention or a time out for a day, NOT EXPULSION!!!!!!!!!!!
The boy should get private tutoring so he can be a proper manager/supervisor or marketing specialist while the rest of the french work in a factory. A boy that enterprizing ought to be given every advantage.. I delivered morning newspapers at 12yo in Wisconsin for over 100 families. Think it was cold? Think the snow was deep? Think my parents helped at ALL?????? I say nurture his ambition and marketing awareness….boy genius more like
MAC
Kids entrepreneurial talent should be rewarded, not punished. Headmaster has a baguette up his Arse.
The same kind of thing happens at schools in the US too. I’ve heard of kids being busted just for sharing Jolly Ranchers with their friends at lunch.
Busted, or *expelled*?
Of course I can see how setting some kind of limit is perhaps important. My kid’s school ( A French school in Canada), was selling candy for fundraising for the school until last year when the rules changed that you can only fundraise with “healthy” snacks.
The school should make the kid write an essay about his experience in entrepreneurship (a word derived from the french language no less) and do a research paper on the hasards of too much sugar, and present it to his class. Then they can make an “official” rule, covering sales of anything to friends, be it “no business at school”, or only in limited circumstances whatever.
Great way to crush a child’s inventiveness and natural entrepreneurial talent. Bravo to this school administration. Why on earth would anyone want a child to see the benefits of taking initiative? Quelle horror.
Teacher is right. These jawbreaker sweets are now made in China. Already a product recall in the USA from sweets made by Zed Candy. Schoolboy thinking of profit before duty of care. If he did a simple google search on the products he may have thought twice ! Michelle.
The Americans did come from Ireland , just pointing out.
But I agree that the French are stupid and annoying, and yes the whole world does hate the French.
No offense, 😉
Lol i like how the comments turned into a full blown argument with the frogs vs the americans.