Last week my son's head was pushed into a locker and he fell onto the floor and hurt his leg. How did I find out? The school nurse. She was not fully aware of how and what happened but she called to let me know that Cole came to the clinic and was okay. I waited for the assistant principal to call me because that is who I usually speak with when we have issues. But I received no call that day. That night I even received a personal message from another student who saw the incident happen and said she was going to go to the principal the next day about it. My heart was broken all evening. The more I tried to ask my son about it, the more upset he got. He was so embarrassed. He told me he didn't even want the other boy to get in trouble. He just wanted everyone to forget about it.
The next day I waited till lunch time for the principal to call but she still hadn't so I called her. I was informed that she had been busy and was just starting to talk to both boys and other students to get to the bottom of it. She said she would get back with me as soon as she came to a conclusion. I was okay with that. Didn't hear back from her the rest of the day.
That evening was a Thursday and my husband and I's 10 year wedding anniversary. We took our kids to my parent's house so we could go out to eat. Cole had a rough time. He cried in the bathroom at their house before we left bc the day was horrible. Everyone was talking about what happened, and he was humiliated. We still went to eat and spent the whole meal talking about it and how sad and helpless we both felt. We sat and talked about how we pictured how sad and lonely Cole's days at school were like. We ate, and went straight back to get him.
The following day was Friday and he had an SOL. I knew it was going to be hard for him. To focus on a test that long is already a hard task for Cole because of his autism. And the anxiety of this situation on top of that was going to make it a rough day. One of his teachers allowed Cole to call me after his SOL so I could come pick him up. He is not suppose to miss anymore days but as his mother, I decide if he needs to be there. And if my son is scared and anxious, he is better off with me.
And I appreciate this teacher so very much!
But I heard nothing from the assistant principal again.
The weekend was better because he was home with us. I wrote my 1st blog Friday night and got a lot of amazing feedback. A lot of people reached out and I realized then that I needed to do more than just talk about it. I want to make a difference. And I am still trying to figure out the best way to do that.
Today was Monday and it kills me to send him back. I pray for all my children, but specifically for children to surround Cole with love and kindness. Around lunch time I reached out to the school and left a message for the assistant principal. As the day went on I was becoming angry that I did not hear from her. I felt as though things were getting swept under the rug. I began this post.
At 3:30 she called. There was a lot of he said/ she said, so getting to the truth is not always so easy. But she did put moves in place to ensure that these two boys not be around each other. That was a great start for me, and I thanked her.
BUT the main issue here is that this is already happening. Bullying needs to be prevented so that these things don't happen. Making changes after the fact is not a solution. There are many students that aren't being taught at home. And many that are. But there needs to be education with kids on how to treat one another. How to fill each other with kindness and love. There are also many kind kids that need to be taught to take a stand against bullies for others. And that is what I am going to work for.
Please share this and help get the word out that something needs to change. Things need to end before they start.
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