November 18, 2024
Parents Want Transparency After ‘Hanging’ Incident At Maryland Elementary School
The parents of a seven-year-old boy believe that officials at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School in Waldorf, Maryland are not forthcoming about an incident that left their son with marks under his eyes and bruises on his neck
The parents of a seven-year-old boy believe that officials at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School in Waldorf, Maryland, are not being forthcoming about an incident that left their son with marks under his eyes and bruises on his neck.
According to WTOP News, the school said that the injuries to the child occurred as the result of horseplaying between two students in the restroom.
The school’s principal, Carrie Burke, said in a letter, “Two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall door hook. The students were not able to free themselves, and the other students involved were 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.”
The letter continued, clarifying that there was no suicide attempt in the restroom, contrary to some social media posts.
“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.”
However, this explanation and the description of events from the child who was injured do not match up, and the child’s parents believe there is more to the story than the official record of events from the school.
The school maintains that their son’s jacket got caught on a stall or hook, but according to the boy’s mother, he told her that the other student made a threatening remark to him while he was in the bathroom.
“He said that the little boy told him, ‘I’m going to show you how I did people back in the day,’ the child’s mother told WUSA9.
She continued, “Doesn’t make sense to me. If you’re horseplaying, how do you get caught on the hook? Like, we need answers. I want answers, and we won’t stop until we get them.”
She believes it may have more to do with bullying than the school’s horseplay explanation.
“I feel like it’s bullying, because it’s no telling how many other kids this has happened to and they want the school district to step-up,” she told WTOP.
Although the child’s father was grateful for Burke’s quick action and for notifying him immediately that his son was okay after the incident, the boy’s parents told Fox 5 DC that they want answers about what happened.
“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.”
His mother chimed in, “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.”
Per Burke’s statement, the incident was reported to a school resource officer and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Charles County Public Schools, which oversees the elementary school, told the outlet that until its own investigation is complete. It will not issue a comment on the matter.
The parents stressed to News 4 Washington that they don’t want any harm to come to the other child who was in the bathroom, but noted that their son is still traumatized.
“We don’t want any harm done to this child because we’ve seen what social media does when something this serious does happen,” the boy’s father said.
“Every single time I try to get into details, he just bursts out crying,” the boy’s mother told the outlet. “I have so many questions, and I just want answers.”
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