You will be fired up by this story, but I’m sure you’ll be happy with the resolution. A female student refuses to be bullied and defends her rights.And when the mother shows up, she flawlessly defends her daughter’s behaviour! Why should women have to handle these circumstances, and why should children be subjected to them?
As an ER nurse, I must inform you that cell phones are not permitted on the unit; they must be stored in lockers. I get a call on a private line from hospital reception.
Over the phone, [Teacher] from [School] here. [Daughter] has been involved in an incident. We require your entry.
Me: “Is she hurt or sick? Can it wait till after my two-hour duty ends?
Over the phone: “[Daughter] hit another pupil.” You haven’t heard from us in forty-five minutes. It is genuinely quite serious.
When I arrive at the school, the principal’s office is ushered into me. I see the principal, my daughter, her advisor, a male instructor, a boy with blood on his face and around his nose, and his parents.
“Mrs. [My Name], how kind of you to finally join us,” said the principal.
Me: “Well, the ER does get busy. I’ve been stitching up a seven-year-old for the past hour after his mother hit him with a metal ladle. After that, I had to deal with the police on the situation. I apologise for the trouble.
(After observing his attempt to hide his embarrassment, he tells me what transpired. My daughter had twice struck him in the face after the youngster broke her bra. They were more upset with my daughter than with the kid, by the look of things.)
Me: “Oh, I see. And you want to know whether I’m going to file a report against the school for enabling him to sexually abuse my daughter as well as against him for doing so?
(When I bring up sexual assault, they all become uneasy and start talking at once.)
“I don’t think it was that serious,” said the teacher.
Advisor: “Let’s not get carried away.”
“I believe you’re missing the point,” said the principal.
At that point, the boy’s mother begins to cry. I look to my daughter to ask her about the incident.)
Daughter: “He was often breaking my bra. When he refused to stop when I begged him to, I told Mr. [Teacher]. Ignore it, he advised me. I punched [Boy] because he unbuttoned my bra again. Then he came to an end.
(I face the instructor now.)
“You let him do this?” I said. How come you didn’t stop him? Allow me to touch the front of your trousers when you come over here.
Instructor: “How come? No!
Me: “Do you think that’s not appropriate? Now would you please go put on Mrs. [Advisor]’s bra? Look how happy she is about it. or on the bra of that boy’s mother. or my. Do you really believe it’s fun just because they’re kids?
Teacher: “Mrs. [My Name].” Respectfully, [Daughter] continued to abuse another child.
Me: “No, sir. She protected herself from a fellow student who was making sexual advances. He is about 6 feet and 160 pounds, just look at them. Five feet and eighty-four pounds. He is twice as heavy and a foot taller than her. Should she have allowed him to touch her more than once? What should she have done if the person in charge of her safety and assistance in a classroom couldn’t be bothered? He tugged on her bra till it came off.
His dad appears to be both embarrassed and furious, while the boy’s mother is still in tears. I can’t get the teacher to look at me. I glance towards the headmaster.)
“I’m taking her home,” I said. I believe the boy has gained insight. And I sincerely hope that [Daughter] and every other female at this school never experience anything similar. that is beyond me how you could allow him to do that to a fifteen-year-old girl but you wouldn’t allow him to do it to a staff member. I’ll be informing the administrators of the school about this. And I WILL have you prosecuted for sexual assault if you ever touch my daughter again—” turns to face the boy ” Are you able to comprehend me?
I packed my daughter’s belongings and fled because I was so furious. I informed the School Board, some of whom I knew, about it, and I was given the assurance that it would be taken seriously.
For that subject, my daughter was placed in a separate class, apart from the boy and the teacher.
