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When Hunter Cmelo was once again late for school, his mom knew that he’d be in trouble. After all, this would be his third offence, and three strikes always resulted in detention. But the punishment that teachers devised for Hunter this time left her heartbroken and outraged. And, as it turned out, she wasn’t the only one appalled at the school’s behavior.

Hunter’s story came to the world’s attention in February 2015. On this particular day, the six-year-old arrived late to Lincoln Elementary School in Grants Pass, Oregon, and he was already in tears because he expected to be punished. His mom, Nicole Garloff, also knew that a detention was inevitable.

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As Garloff told ABC News, if a pupil of Lincoln Elementary is late three times, they can expect to be detained. And this was indeed Hunter’s third offence, so his punishment was already set. Garloff knew, however, that Hunter would be upset, so she decided to check on him during a lunch break.

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