Senior Reporter
A student has been suspended for five days after a 13-year-old Cedros Secondary student was beaten.
The incident, in which the Form One student suffered injuries, was captured in a 24-second video that has circulated widely on social media.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Education said the incident, in which the 13-year-old was lured towards a nearby shop by someone she considered a friend and attacked, occurred near the community pavilion and not on the school’s compound. It said the incident was reported to the school’s vice-principals and a meeting was held with the parents of both students.
However, one has since been suspended from school for five days, while both teens were referred to the Student Support Services Division.
However, the mother of the 13-year-old student said she is seeking a school transfer for her daughter and intends to pursue criminal charges.
In a telephone interview yesterday, the mother said the assault occurred on October 26 while her daughter was waiting for a school bus after classes. She alleged that a student the girl considered a friend lured her towards a nearby shop before attacking her.
The mother said the student removed her shirt before striking her daughter, throwing her to the ground and causing her to hit her head on a lamppost. The girl suffered injuries to both knees and is still limping, her mother said.
The school principal contacted the mother after the incident. However, she said she was upset that her injured and bleeding daughter was sent home by bus.
“She should have called me immediately for me to pick up my child,” she said.
The mother took her daughter to Point Fortin Hospital for treatment. After leaving about 1 am the following day, they went to a police station to report the incident.
“I would like to have justice for my child. She did not deserve this,” the mother said, describing her daughter as loving and saying she had not had problems or fights with other students. “This bullying in schools needs to be dealt with.”
The mother said she was also concerned that the student accused of attacking her daughter had since returned to school, following the suspension. The mother appealed to Education Minister Michael Dowlath to intervene and help with a transfer, saying she no longer feels safe sending her daughter to the school.
She said her daughter had been teased about her appearance, including her shoes, since starting at Cedros Secondary.
The mother of five said her daughter wakes at 4 am to prepare for school and often leaves home before 6 am to travel to Cedros.
She welcomed the Government’s proposal to introduce legislation holding parents accountable for their children’s actions. The mother said the incident had taken a serious emotional toll on her daughter, who was struggling to cope.
“She’s not doing well. She’s not eating, she’s barely sleeping. When you’re trying to talk to her, she’s very distant with us,” she said.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recently pledged a zero-tolerance approach to school violence and warned that students who engage in violent behaviour could face expulsion. The Government is also considering legislation to hold parents accountable for their children’s actions.
