Last Friday I got called by my 12 year old's school. He was in the office with a hurt wrist and ice was not helping him get any more comfortable. I just had a feeling it was broken. Sure enough after a trip to the ER it was confirmed.
A few of you may remember that my husband has no insurance available at his company. We are on county insurance, but they had messed up our paperwork and said we needed to reapply. We moved and are in a new county, but we are STILL waiting for a response to our application. My point? We have no health insurance.
That's only an aggravating factor for me right now. What has me really upset is that his arm was broken when two kids "table topped" him. If you are not familiar with this, it is when two kids conspire to take a big kid down by surprise. One kid gets on hands and knees like a "table" behind the victim and then the other pretends like he is going to go up and talk to the victim and instead pushes him over the "table" or other kid.
So the school's official response is that the kids' parents are devastated their kids acted so horribly; that school privacy laws prevent them form telling me who it was, who the parents are, and what the consequences were. They assured me they had both in school and out of school consequences. Based on the gossip from other kids in the school, these kids are bragging that they didn't get in any trouble and that the took one of the biggest kids in the class down.
The asst. principal assured me that she had spoke with all 6th graders and informed them if it happened again it would be treated as an assault. Well wasn't this time an assault? I asked her about contacting the school assigned police officer and she said she was pretty certain he would not issue a citation to the kids. Shouldn't he be allowed to discern if there was a crime?
Two days ago she assured me she would have the school police officer talk with all three boys. Today my son comes home and still nothing. Am I crazy to think the school should have accident insurance or that the parents should be responsible in some way? I know if one of my kids ever did anything like that I would want to personally apologize to the child and family involved, I would expect my kid to do the same, and I would be expecting to assume all financial responsibility, even if it meant my kid working it off for a LOOOONG time.
I think I am going to call the non-school assigned police and ask to file a report.
I am so mad.
I found out a while ago that my sense of responsibility doesn't mean that others share that same virtue. There seems to be less and less acceptance of responsibility today. No one wants to look at their part. Everyone could use a fourth step.
ReplyDeleteHELL YES! Call the police! This is absolute bullshit! I am sick and tired of schools protecting the kids that commit acts of violence and abuse. This is not acceptable and you are lucky I don't know the name of the school or I'd call and cuss out the principal. (Ok, maybe I wouldn't but I feel like it). This makes me MAD. What are those bullies learning through this? What is the ENTIRE student body of that school learning? That you can get away with whatever you want if your under 18! The parents should be making those boys apologize and finding a way to pay for the hospital bills. Kids will be kids and do stupid stuff, but there is a fine line between childish play and cruelty. I am sure you watch the news and have seen some of the recent stories...boys setting a friend on fire, a boy beating a girl up so bad she's brain damaged...not to mention SEVERAL suicides committed by kids who were bullied. And jack shit has happened to ANY of the kids that committed those acts.
ReplyDeleteI am pissed off (can you tell). Let us know what happens.
I'm thinking if you're hurt on school property, the school should have some responsibility. Secondly, the school not telling you information about the boys who assaulted your son is absurd. I'm over bullies. I think you should keep going to the top, call the school board, the mayor, the police, the superintendent, write an article for your local newspaper, keep going. On the other hand, you have to do what's best for your son. Three boys at a high school started handing out flyers about my daughter..for a good time, call ".." They ended up being suspended from school for three days and coming over to my house with their parents to apologize. Then, there were the high school boys who stole my daughter's car and buried it in mud right up to the roof. They, too, came over with a check in hand and their parents pinching their bully ears. Years later, my daughter is friends with these former bullies. They laugh about it all now. I say, don't be passive. I'm never a good source for advice though. Just trying to say that you made some good points and have every right to be royally ticked at the school. (Madison)
ReplyDeletethanks for share...
ReplyDelete