This is the shocking picture of a six year-old schoolboy who was forced by his school to sit behind a cardboard screen – as punishment for being ONE MINUTE late.

Tearful Hunter Cmelo was pictured sitting in a corner away from the rest of his first-grade class during lunch as retribution for his tardiness, which his family say was not his fault.

The school, Lincoln Elementary in Grants Pass, Oregon, was reportedly inundated with calls from other parents concerned about bullying after the picture was posted by Hunter’s family on Facebook.

School authorities say the carboard wall is part of the principal’s system of punishment for students who are regularly late, ADRV.com reported. But Hunter’s family say his tardiness is because of his mother’s health issues and recent car trouble.

The boy’s grandmother, Laura Hoover, posted the photo of Hunter sulking into the screen blocking his view of a cafeteria bustling with other students – and called on other parents to flood the school with calls to complain.

She wrote: “His momma’s car sometimes doesn’t like to start right up. Sometimes he’s a couple minutes late to school. Yesterday, he was one minute late.

“This is what his momma discovered they do to punish him.”

Hunter’s mum, Nicole Garloff, took the photo when she went to check on her son at school. She ended up taking him home.

The school even posted a police officer outside its doors, fearing a mob of angry parents could descend on the school.

The cardboard shield “was never intended to isolate or stigmatise students,” Grants Pass School District said.

The school met Hunter’s parents on Thursday. The meeting resolved the problems to both the school’s and parents’ satisfaction, according to local media reports.