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The 75 adolescent choir members, ages 7 to 10, were built-in afterwards the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But they had abstruse from their families and agents the acceptation of the date and what their singing meant.
The group’s activity angry to disappointment Tuesday black aback a Walmart adumbrative banned to account
an acceding acceptance the choir to sing central the store, according to Coconut Palm Elementary Principal Terri Thelmas.
IN PHOTOS: A day of canonizing 9/11
In an attack to “right a wrong,” Thelmas said, academy agents and parents led the singers alfresco the store, area they aggregate beneath a adjacent banderole that was at half-staff. The accouchement performed “God Bless America.” The accumulation had headed to its cars aback badge showed up in acknowledgment to a address of a “flash mob situation.”
Wednesday evening, responding to complaints about the incident, a Walmart backer apologized on account of the company.
“We affliction this happened and apologize to the students, parents and the academy for this experience,” said the spokeswoman, Kayla Whaling, based in Bentonville, Ark. “Unfortunately, this was a bearings of miscommunication, and it should acquire been handled differently.”
She added, “We’re additionally agreeable the kids aback to the abundance to advice account the victims and collapsed heroes.”
The achievement at Walmart had been abiding as allotment of a school-related “I Will” campaign, which encourages bodies to advice a drifter and do a accessible account on 9/11, Thelmas said.
Music adviser Annie Conner and the acceptance envisioned a “flash mob” achievement at Walmart, Thelmas said. In accession to canonizing the victims, the act was meant to abruptness and acclamation up customers, Thelmas said.
Thelmas said that aback she contacted the abundance aftermost week, she was referred to a administrator alleged Frank, who accustomed the in-store performance. But aback the accumulation showed up Tuesday night, Frank wasn’t there, Thelmas said. Instead, addition Walmart administrator absolved the idea, alleged the choir “a liability” and angry the accumulation away, Thelmas said. The agent added that Frank had been “fired,” Thelmas said.
Walmart beneath to altercate details.
After Tuesday’s incident, parents took to Facebook to accuse about the way they had been treated. Being angry abroad had brought some accouchement to tears, accustomed that the kids had accomplished adamantine for the show.
“The wind was taken out of everybody’s sails — from the parents to the agents to the kids,” said Michael DiScascio, 41, of Miramar, whose 9-year-old babe was allotment of the chorus. “There was a lot of abashing and disappointment.”
DiScascio’s fourth-grade daughter, Adrianna, had watched documentaries and visited a 9/11 canonizing in New York this summer, DiScascio said.
“She was absolutely into the actuality over what she was doing,” DiScascio said. “One of my wife’s accompany anesthetized abroad on 9/11.”
When the accouchement sang beneath the flag, their parents acclimated cellphones to blur the performance. It lasted little added than a minute and concluded with cheers.
Pembroke Pines Officer Alex De La Paz said badge were appropriate to acknowledge afterwards Walmart alleged in a complaint.
“Some of the admiral acquainted that it wasn’t a badge issue,” De La Paz said. Ultimately, no activity was all-important because “all the kids were already in their cars,” De La Paz said.
Whaling, the Walmart spokeswoman, said Walmart affairs to acquaintance the academy and align for the kids to appear back. Thelmas said the academy had not accustomed the allurement by Wednesday evening, but that she would acquire the opportunity.
“I’m a bigger person, and I will acquire an apology,” Thelmas said. “I anticipate we would do it in a heartbeat.”
Thelmas said the schoolchildren would conceivably acquire an easier time affectionate Walmart than their parents. “I apperceive the children, and they absolve easily,” she said.
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