Colegio San Agustin says there was 'no bullying' against Yasmien Kurdi's daughter
Colegio San Agustin Makati (CSA-Makati) has denied allegations of bullying involving Yasmien Kurdi Soldevilla's daughter, Ayesha.
In a statement released on their Facebook page, the school, represented by their legal counsel, addressed Kurdi's claims that her daughter was being harassed by several of her classmates.
"It is unfortunate that an incident among minor students have been blown out in the public. At the outset, there appears to be no bullying that happened on Dec. 10, 2024, but rather a situation where students were discussing about Christmas party preparations," the school stated.
They were referring to the incident where Ayesha was allegedly "surrounded by seven to nine students" and was "blocked from leaving the classroom and was denied her food and recess."
However, CSA-Makati assured they are "handling the matter with caution, circumspect, and confidentiality because the students involved here are minor children."
They encouraged the parents involved to cooperate with them so that matters could be resolved within the school's mechanisms in accordance with relevant orders from the Department of Education.
The school also urged Kurdi to refrain from sharing information about the minor students, reasoning that this may "put them in a bad light, embarrassment, and even ridicule, not only in CSA but in the eyes of the public."
"While we assume good faith in the public actions and statements of Mrs. [Kurdi] Soldevilla, these may have unintended consequences on the students involved including her own daughter. We acknowledge that she is a public personality and perhaps used to public attention, but the other parties especially the minor students value their privacy and hence deserve respect too," the school stated.
CSA-Makati clarified that they support raising awareness on bullying, but in such a way that it won't draw unnecessary public attention as this "does not help at all in the formation and correction of students and in eventually resolving their conflicts."
"The school environment is a place where there's constant interaction among students, which results almost always to emotions of joy, even frustration and anger. The undue branding of bullying of these interactions might result in disruptions in students' learning and growth," the institution highlighted.
They ended their statement by promising that the school is "handling the matter in proportion to the seriousness of the incident brought to its attention."
Last Dec. 11, Kurdi shared that her daughter has been on the receiving end of bullying on her social media pages, saying that she is being tormented by her classmates due to being "unable to keep up with group messages about their upcoming Christmas party" while they were out of the country.
She further claimed that Ayesha had taken some time off from school after another student "harassed" her by taking a video without her consent, causing her "paranoia and anxiety."
The local star also expressed her disappointment towards the parents of the supposed bullies for "twisting events and claiming it was a regular student meeting" as well as for "questioning back my daughter's behavior."
Kurdi announced through her Instagram stories that she is meeting with Department of Education chief Sonny Angara on Thursday, Dec. 19, to discuss solutions to curb bullying incidents in schools.
PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to the actress for comment on CSA-Makati's statement but has yet to receive a reply.
