( Yahoo LifeStyle Dec 9, 2019)
A Missouri mother’s Facebook post has gone viral after she passionately defended her son, who had received an out-of-school suspension for “beating up the kid that has been tormenting and bullying him since middle school.”
Last Monday, Allison Arnall Davis, of Mansfield, shared a lengthy post in which she criticized her son’s school — presumably Republic High School in Springfield, according to the photo she uploaded— for not taking action while her son Drew was bullied.
“I know as a parent I’m suppose to be upset with him for resorting to violence or getting suspended, but I’m not,” the mother wrote. “Not even a little bit.”
Allison proceeded to list the ways in which school administrators ignored multiple warning signs.
“When this kid has constantly threatened to beat Drew up along with several of his friends, the school did nothing,” she explained. “When this kid followed Drew down the hall threatening him and making fun of him AND it was all captured on video, the school did nothing. When other kids told teachers and administrators that this kid was threatening Drew, the school did nothing.”
The unidentified bully also reportedly sent Drew threatening messages over the phone and social media, the mother added.
“Not once has the school ever punished the kid that has threatened and bullied Drew over and over,” Allison wrote. “In middle school Drew was afraid to walk down the halls because a swarm of this kid and his minions would make fun of and threaten Drew. He quit talking to the adults about it because they never disciplined the bully and it just made the situation worse.”
Allison said she had notified Drew’s school about the bullying but administrators did nothing but ask him and his bully sign a “no contact contract.” The agreement didn’t do much to improve the two’s relationship, she said.
“When this kid threatened Drew [while on the bus] and then moved on to making fun of his Dad and then threatening Jackson, his 11-year-old brother, Drew decided that he would quit relying on the school and the adults who are suppose to protect him and HE would do something,” the boy’s mother wrote. “Three punches and his bully screamed like a baby, his minion friends shut up, and this morning the bully wouldn’t even look at him.”
Allison’s story has since gone viral. One week after the incident, it received more than 252,000 reactions and nearly 1,000 comments, many of which were surprisingly supportive.
“Great work young man!!” one person wrote. “Especially using your hands instead of a weapon like most kids these days!”
“Good job, Drew,” another posted in response. “I’m so sorry it had to come to that. One of the reasons I don’t do children’s social work anymore is because I was tired of seeing my kids and their parents do things the “right” way to no end.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, research has shown that between one in four and one in three students in the U.S. say they have been bullied in school. Much of the bullying occurs in middle school, the agency noted.
