Third-grader faces repeated physical assaults despite parental complaints
A Brampton family is voicing their fears for their third-grade son’s safety, alleging persistent physical bullying at Hanover Public School. They claim the school’s efforts to address the issue have been insufficient, leaving them worried about their child’s well-being.
“They surrounded me in a circle, jumped on me, and hit me,” the young boy recounted tearfully. “A student punched me in the face, and then everyone started hitting me again.”
According to the family, the bullying began shortly after they moved to the area in September. Initially verbal, the harassment escalated to physical violence within weeks of their son’s enrollment.
The boy’s mother detailed the repeated attacks and the family’s frustration with the school’s response.
“We complained, but within a week, he was attacked again. Other students surrounded him and started kicking him,” she said. “He cried a lot that day. It was only thanks to older students in higher grades, who intervened and calmed him down, that things didn’t get worse.”
Despite several emails to the school principal and meetings to address the issue, the bullying persisted. The mother added that the principal acknowledged aggressive behavior by the students and suggested that cultural differences might be a contributing factor.
Although the students involved apologized after the first incident, the bullying resumed just hours later.
“The situation escalated again. They surrounded him, kicked him, and punched him to the ground,” the mother said. “The principal called us and said he thought the problem was resolved after the apologies, but the attacks continued.”
The parents now fear sending their son back to school despite assurances from the principal that their child would be safe.
“I spoke with the principal today. He said the teacher is waiting for our child and that staying home will harm his education,” the mother explained. “But our priority is his safety, and we don’t feel confident sending him back.”
The father believes stronger action from the teacher at the onset of the bullying could have prevented the ongoing harassment.
“If the teacher had taken stricter action during the first incident, we wouldn’t be here now. Our child’s education wouldn’t be suffering, and we wouldn’t be living in fear. Silent children often don’t speak up, and this cycle needs to stop,” he said.
OMNI News has contacted Hanover Public School and the Peel District School Board for comment but has yet to receive a response.
For now, the family continues to advocate for their son and hopes their story will encourage schools to take bullying incidents more seriously to protect all children.
Courtsey OMNI News