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A vegan dad has won a fight against his daughter’s school after it refused to offer a soy alternative to its free school milk scheme.
The battle lasted nine months but not before the 43-year-old experienced insomnia and anxiety as a result of stress.
Soya milk fight
Paul Roberts took complaints to his five-year-old daughter Sophia’s school after it refused to provide free soya milk.
However, he managed to persuade staff at Cranmore Infant School in the West Midlands, UK to reverse the decision.
It offered free milk to pupils as part of a scheme, but initially only cow’s milk – and told Sophia it was the only option.
In a statement published by The Vegan Society, Roberts said: “It’s been a really emotionally draining nine months.
“But I just hope others can benefit from our fight and parents and children in the school understand that they too have a freedom of choice.”
Cow’s milk scheme
Moreover, Roberts wrote a letter to the headmaster last year. But, requests to bring soya milk onto the scheme were initially rejected – until the school’s governing body accepted the legalities.
He took his plight to Facebook and was contacted by The Vegan Society’s International Rights Network Chair, Dr. Jeanette Rowley.
‘I am delighted with the outcome of Mr. Roberts’ long-running case. Sofia, and other pupils, can now drink a plant-based alternative to cow’s milk while at school. And in the context of inclusion, the school will now examine the way it promotes cow’s milk.
“All schools should understand their duties under the Equality Act 2010.
‘And, particularly, that the Public Sector Equality Duty requires schools to consider the negative impact of polices on different groups of people and do everything reasonably possible to remove the disadvantages vegans face’, Dr. Rowley said.
