The mother of a left-handed child has claimed a teacher sent her an article which said left-handedness was associated with "the devil".
Alisha Sands from Oklahoma, America, said her four-year-old son Zayde had always used his left hand for writing, batting and colouring.
However one day he returned from nursery using his right.
When Sands asked her son why he had switched, she said he raised his left hand and said "this one is bad".
Sands contacted the teacher from Oakes Elementary in Oklahoma, to ask why, and she alleges the teacher replied by sending her an article that referred to left-handedness as "evil" and "sinister".
The passage reportedly read: "For example, the devil is often portrayed as left-handed."
Sands told KFOR TV: "It breaks my heart for him because someone actually believes that, believes my child is evil because he’s left-handed, it’s crazy."
Sands said she went to the school with a complaint, but "there was no suspension of any kind".
She added, according to the Daily Star: "The teacher told them she thought I needed literature on it."
The origin of the passage Sands was allegedly sent is not known.
However, the term 'sinister', one of the words Sands said was in the article, is actually the Latin word left-handed. This was because historically, the left side was considered negatively in many cultures.
The word has evolved over time and changed meaning.
Sands said she did not want her son to have to face this prejudice and wanted to move him to another class. She wants to file a formal complaint with the Oklahoma Board of Education.
According to the Independent, the school is aware and investigating the situation.
