Bullying, whether in school or in the workplace, is one of society's most prevalent problems. In school, the matter can be alleviated with the help of teachers and staff. However, a young student in California who was physically bullied claimed that the adults in the school ignored him when he reported about the bullying incident he experienced.
Aiden O'Brien, a 9-year-old student from a Fairfield-California elementary school, went home one day covered in bruises and with an ACE bandage wrapped around his wrist and arm, Liftable reported. Aiden's mother, Connie, said that aside from the boy's bruises on his back and face, her son was also punched by his peers in the kidneys so much that "he had a hard time peeing that entire day."
The reason behind the boys' fight and who started it was unclear, but the scuffle was reportedly due to a girl. Connie said that she was "absolutely floored that this would happen at his age." It's unknown whether the boys' fight and bullying behavior have been going on for quite some time now or if it's a one-time thing.
Aiden said that he approached the adults at school about the bullying incident, but the staff allegedly ignored him repeatedly. This pushed Connie to question how the school handles incidents like this between the students.
The school issued a statement after Aiden was bullied. They said that the school's top priority is the "safety and security of the students," adding that they are investigating the issue.
They refused to say whether Aiden's bullies were punished, though. To prevent other bullying instances involving her son, Connie transferred Aiden to another school in the hopes that the child will have a better environment there.
A child experiencing bullying exhibits several symptoms. These are unexplained reluctance to attend school, abrupt difficulty in doing school work or homework, anxiety, fearfulness, nightmares, troubled sleep, missing belongings, frequent headaches or stomach pain and being easily upset, Parent Herald previously reported.
The three types of bullying are verbal (name-calling, teasing, and threats), physical (kicking, punching, and taking a person's possessions) and psychological (rumor-spreading, intimidation and manipulation), IOL listed. Bullying is most rampant in middle school and causes children to have increased risks of depression, low self-esteem, poor school performance and suicide, according to StopBullying.gov.
In the United States, 28 percent of students between grades six to 12 and 20 percent of pupils between grades nine to 12 have been bullied, StopBullying.gov noted. Only around 20 to 30 percent of students who are bullied notify adults about the torments they experience.
