The parents of a UK schoolboy have demanded an apology from his school after they mistook his homework for a suicide note.
Before going to bed on Wednesday night, Wesley Walker, 14, handed his mum, Vicki, a letter which requested bright colours at his funeral and listed who should inherit his possessions, the Daily Mail reports.
Wesley's dad, Mark, said the colour drained from his wife's face when she read the letter, which began with "Dear mum".
"She burst into his bedroom and expected to see him hanging there — she was horrified," Mr Walker said.
"The poor lad almost jumped out of his skin. It has really shaken us up."
While Wesley's school, the Discovery Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, apologised for the incident, staff said the homework task was justified because it gave students a chance to be expressive.
Students were asked to imagine they had a terminal illness and write to their loved ones to say goodbye.
"I just thought it was like any other piece of work," Wesley said.
They were then instructed to take their work home, but parents weren't given any warning.
"The purpose was to enable young people to explore their feelings and emotions and celebrate the many good things with their loved ones that are usually left unsaid," a spokesman from the school said.
The school said it would review how it communicates with parents in the future.
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