The mother of a viral video featuring a child being choked and assaulted on a school bus detailed her experience and the apparent lack of action by the school in a blog post.
Taylor Brock took to her blog to discuss her experience regarding her son and the school administration's response to the incident, noting other parents had come forward following the viral video of her son's assault.
"My son has come to me before and told me other kids will bully him or say mean things to him, but I didn't truly understand how bad it was,” wrote Brock, who said she received messages from fellow parents detailing similar stories of their own children's experiences.
“Children are afraid to come forward, they suffer in silence, and even commit suicide because they feel like there is no other way to escape the pain and suffering they endure at school,” she wrote.
“The children who are brave enough to come forward are not being taken seriously enough by the school,” she continued. “The victims continue to suffer because the consequences for breaking rules aren't severe enough to deter perpetrators from breaking them."
Brock said the school's reaction to the incident is a "perfect example of how careless the school is towards acts of violence," proposing parents need to remain aware of their children's safety and demand action.
The mother detailed that the girl responsible for assaulting her son is the same girl who allegedly stole a toy from him several months before. The school reportedly told Brock they would "take care of it.”
Brock said she was sent the video of her son's assault from another student who also revealed it was the second time her son had been assaulted by the girl.
"I immediately went to the school to show them the video of the assault and pictures of my son's neck. Upon seeing this I was sure that the school would take proper action and keep not only my son safe but the other children on the bus and school safe too by expelling her,” Brock continued. “The school told me that they would make sure they don't have the same classes together, but my son told me that he passes by her in the hall and that she chose to sit behind him at lunch, knowing the protection order was in place.”
“Not only did the girl not take this protection order seriously, but the school didn't either.”
After confronting the school regarding the bus' camera footage, administration reportedly confirmed the girl had disobeyed the protection order. The school further acknowledged they "didn't know she was sitting behind him at lunch."
"What are the schools doing to keep our children safe, because the 'preventative' measures they put in place aren't cutting it," Brock wrote.
The girl is reportedly known for bullying though specifically goes after Brock's son because he is an "easy target," noting two of her son's friends who are also victims have been afraid to come forward out of retaliation, according to the blog.
"How does that make you feel to know that the school doesn't take the violence and crime that occurs seriously enough to protect our kids even when confronted with evidence?" Brock wrote, claiming the Judge who issued a two year protection order was "confused" after learning the girl still attended the school.
"We have protocols we have to follow and execute punishment according to the School's Code of Conduct," the school reportedly told Brock.
"If suspending a child for strangulation (which is a lethal form of violence) is following the school's protocols, then the protocols need to change," Brock wrote. "This isn't just my child's life on the line, but every child that has been harmed and humiliated where the school did nothing."
She continued:School's [sic] need to be held accountable for inadequately protecting our children. They can't create a safe environment for our kids if they sweep these violent acts under the rug, hoping no one hears about them. Not only do schools need to give harsher punishments to children who bully, threaten, and assault others, but they also need more preventative measures.
"This event didn't only affect my son, but our entire family. And it didn't just affect him then, it will continue to affect him throughout his life," Brock concluded. "Trauma doesn't just go away because we ask it to."
"We must hold schools accountable and I hope that shining a light on this instance, fortunately caught on camera, and on the school's reaction to it, will get parents to speak up and stand together to show the world that things need to change."
