On Saturday, a family from Charles County spoke out after their 7-year-old son was taken to the hospital after something happened at his elementary school.
Since the boy’s mom wrote about what happened online, it has gone viral. As of Saturday night, over 215,000 people had liked the post on Instagram.
What the mother wrote on social media on Saturday: “My second-grade child was hung in the boys’ bathroom by a fourth-grader.” “I got the most upsetting call from the school telling me that my child was being rushed to Children’s Hospital in NW… I’m mad and seeing red, but my son is here because of God’s grace, and I will always be grateful!”
They are mad and confused, but they are also glad that their son is still alive.
Parents of the boy fought back tears as they said, “If you look at my son, he has marks under his eyes that look like blood vessels. He still has bruises on his neck from being choked.”
It was hard for these two parents, who did not want to be named, to hide how they felt as they talked about their son. When they said that a fourth-grader hung their son in the boy’s bathroom on Friday, they want to know what happened.
“He’s been traumatized.” The student’s mother said, “It will take time.” “He’s not going to get over this quickly.”
The family got paperwork from the hospital that lists one of his injuries as a neck contusion, which is caused by a blow to the head. He or she is in the second grade at Waldorf, Maryland’s C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School and is 7 years old.
The second grader’s school, Charles County Public Schools, said they knew what happened.
“Dear Parents, Guardians and Staff:
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I want to update you on a situation that occurred today at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. This afternoon, 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. 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. I understand that the initial 911 report resulted in a first responder call that shared a possible suicide attempt occurred at our school. This was then posted on social media by a community member, causing a bit of community concern. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) quickly shared an update with you as well as the Barnhart staff to dispel any inaccurate information beginning to circulate.
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I apologize for the delay in that update, but our administrative team was addressing the needs of our students. The incident was also reported to our school resource officer (SRO). Any time we have an emergency situation at our school, the administrative team will quickly address, ensure all students and staff are safe and then communicate with parents after we have accurate information to share. I appreciate the quick thinking of the student who reported their classmate needed help, our staff for calmly managing a schedule disruption, and our students who followed our directions this afternoon so emergency medical services (EMS) could enter the school and provide care for the student. Thank you for your continued support of C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School.“
Even though her son was taken to the hospital, the 7-year-old’s mother still has questions for the school.
“That doesn’t make sense to me.” How do you get caught on a hook when you’re horseplaying? Like, “We need answers, I want answers, and we won’t stop until we get answers.”
According to his parents, they are telling their side of the story so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
He told his mother that the little boy told him, “I’m going to show you how I did people back in the day” while they were in the bathroom. This is why his mother thought it was bullying. “I have no idea how many other kids this has happened to.”
They now say that the school district needs to do something.
“I want a rule, or at least someone to watch the hallways. Why are fourth graders and second graders using the same bathroom?” “They are split up in most schools,” the mother said. “This doesn’t seem right to me.”
“These are all our kids. They’re the future, so let’s keep them safe.” “It’s like we take our kids to school every day and think they’re safe,” the dad said.
They said their son would not be going back to school, but they hope to hear more from the district soon.
