A group of high school students and adults gathered in protest after they claimed the school did nothing to a set of alleged bullies accused of harassing and assaulting a boy with cerebral palsy.
The Washington Post reports that the incident occurred in Novia Scotia, Canada, in early November, when a group of kids, caught on video, made a young boy with cerebral palsy lie down in a puddle of mud as they took turns walking over him.
The victim, 14-year-old Brett Corbett, reportedly told his mother that he had to go to school soaking wet because his peers dared him to swim a creek behind their Glace Bay school.
Corbett took the dare and walked into the water, then went down on his belly in an attempt to swim. A group of onlooking children surrounded him, while a girl jumped on his back and hopped to the other side of the creek.
In a separate video that has since been removed from Facebook, the boy stood up afterward but the laughing teens demanded that he get back in the water.
“Do it, you f—— b—-!” one of the male classmates yelled.
At the students’ insistence, Corbett got back into the water, belly-down. Three teen boys then allegedly walked across his back. Corbett’s mother said he has had trouble sleeping since the incident happened.
“It’s just breaking my heart. … This is his mind-set,” Corbett’s mom, Terri McEachern, said. “Children with disabilities have the most amazing gifts in the world. They don’t see bad in anyone. They see so much good in everybody.”
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She wasn’t the only one hoping for justice.
Numerous students attended a rally organized by local boxer, Ryan “Thunder” Rozicki, who named the event, “Stand up for Corbett.” The organizer indicated that he wanted Corbett to know he was “not alone” and that bullying is not OK.
“Brett Corbett is a grade 9 student at Glace Bay High School who lives with cerebral palsy. On November 6th, 30 students tormented Brett to the point of laying in a shallow creek to use him as a human bridge, throwing rocks, and laughing and recording,” the organizer wrote on Facebook.
According to Rare, more than 50 students ended up apologizing to Corbett after students and adults alike rallied outside the high school on November 13.
“I shouldn’t have told you to go [into the water]. I should have helped you up instead of breaking you down,” one female student wrote to Corbett. “You are way stronger than me for being so forgiving so fast,” she continued, “and I’m really sorry for what I have done. I know better. This is not who I am as a person. I truly care.”
I made a really bad choice and I will live with that for the rest of my life. I want with all my heart to make this better, and I can promise I will never let this happen to anyone again.”
Corbett’s mother said that the boy has a huge heart and has forgiven the students who reportedly bullied him. He even invited the girl who wrote the heartfelt letter to him to his home to play video games.
Corbett also said he hopes his story and experience can help bring awareness and make a difference, according to McEachern.
Is School Administration to Blame?
In addition to blaming the students involved in the incident for their inappropriate behavior, numerous people also blamed the school administration and said it could have and should have had much more intervention.
The school administration allegedly said they were looking into the incident, which they called “unacceptable and very disappointing.” Yet, school officials haven’t confirmed whether the students in question have been disciplined.
Additional Help with Bullying
As Cerebral Palsy Guidance previously reported, although no federal law exists on bullying, there is a federal law for “discriminatory harassment,” which protects people with special needs in school from being harassed, bullied, and/or excluded.
Once bullying has been confirmed, public schools’ administration have the obligation to investigate what happened, talk to the victims and the alleged bullies, take steps to sure the incident doesn’t happen again, and routinely check in with the victim and bullies to ensure the problem has been solved.
If school administrators fail to do their required jobs, parents have the option to file a formal grievance with the school district, as well as the U.S. Department of Education (Civil Rights Division) and the U.S. Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division).
Read More: Cerebral Palsy and Bullying
