BY: LBS STAFF
Published 2 weeks ago
One Maryland mother has gone viral, after sharing a photo of her 7-year-old son in the hospital — while claiming he was hanged in a bullying incident.
In a post which has racked up more than 650K likes and drawn 30K comments, the mom — who has opted to remain anonymous in subsequent interviews and hasn’t named her child publicly — said her son “experienced something no child should have never in life experienced” last Friday at school.
The Alleged Bullying Incident
“My child who is a 2nd grader was hung in the boys bathroom by a 4th grader,” she wrote, claiming she “received the most traumatizing phone call from the school stating that my child was being rushed to children’s hospital.”
“The principal went into the bathroom & found my baby foaming out the mouth & unconscious,” she continued, saying seeing her son in trauma care “with 8-10 doctors” around him was “the most heartbreaking & traumatizing situation my family has ever been in.”
She said she was speaking out on social media to bring more awareness to the issue, saying, “Everything about this is unacceptable nothing about this is ok BULLYING is never ok.”
She concluded, “I’m feeling anger & seeing red but my son is here by the grace of GOD and I will forever be thankful! I have so many questions left unanswered. I thank everyone for all the calls check ups & prayers.”
The School’s Statement
On Friday, Charles County Public Schools issued a statement — initially explaining the incident by saying, “two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall door hook. The student was not able to free themselves and the other student involved was also not able to help them.”
“This student left the bathroom to seek help from staff and reported the incident to administrators,” the added.
“Administrators responded and were able to assist, but staff called 911 for additional precautionary medical support. Due to privacy reasons, I am not able to share any additional details with you.”
Parents Continue to Speak Out
As the incident started to receive more attention online, the injured boy’s parents continued to speak out in interviews to local news outlets.
Speaking with FOX 5, the parents praised the principal.
“The first thing she said was that he was fine, he’s up, and alert … but she didn’t tell me exactly the location of what happened until we got to the hospital,” said the father. The boy’s mother, meanwhile, added, “She’s the one who got my son down just in time by the grace of God. I’m not angry with her, I’m thankful. I’m just thankful that my son is here, it could’ve been so much worse. But we do want answers.”
In a separate interview with WUSA, the parents said, “If you look at my son, he has marks under his eyes, like blood vessels, he still has bruises on his neck from being choked. He’s traumatized. It’s going to take time. This is not something he’s going to just get over overnight.”
Asked the boy’s mother: “If you’re horse playing, how do you get caught on a hook? Like we need answers, I want answers, and we won’t stop till we get answers.”
As for what she wants, she explained, “I want to see a policy in place, at least hallway monitors, I want to know why is a fourth grader in the same bathroom as a second grader? Most schools have them divided. I feel this is very unacceptable.”
Updated Statement from the School
On Sunday, the Charles County Public School Superintendent released an additional statement.
“As with any incident in any of our schools, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) cannot legally release personally identifiable information about students,” they told WUSA.
“This includes specific details about incidents … I have seen the comments online stating that the school and the CCPS are covering up what happened. That is not true. The principal nor the school system are hiding anything.”
The Mother’s Last Word, For Now
Overnight on Sunday, the mother shared an additional post, thanking everyone for all the attention her story has been given. She added that while she knows the identity of the other child involved, she won’t be releasing it because he’s also a minor. She made sure to specify the other boy is African American, adding, “This isn’t a race issue, this is a school/parent issue.”
“Since the incident, several parents have come forward to report that their own children were also bullied by this same fourth grader and that they had previously reported these concerns to the school multiple times,” she claimed. “These parents are now willing to share their experiences publicly. I want to emphasize that my voice is not the only one speaking out, and there is a collective concern from multiple families.”
“While it breaks my heart that my son had to endure this and serve as a painful example, I hope his experience will be a catalyst for change and learning, benefiting all students in the future,” she added.
Per FOX 5, the boy has since been released from the hospital and is home with family.
via: TooFab