Virginia 6th Grader Suspended for Delayed Reporting of Classmate with Bullet, Family Claims
The family of an 11-year-old kid claims he was punished from his Virginia Beach, Virginia, school because administrators believed he waited too long to report that another student had brought a bullet to class.
An attorney for the family accused St. John the Apostle Catholic School of punishing the sixth grader for simply trying to do the right thing.
“They say, ‘Thank you so much for reporting, now you’re suspended.'” And it’s like, ‘I did the right thing and now I’m in danger,'” attorney Tim Anderson said over the phone on Friday. “They’re ruining this kid’s academic career by putting a suspension on his middle school record.”
The incident occurred last week, while the boy’s class was ready to take a standardized test. According to Anderson, a student brought out a bullet and displayed it to the 11-year-old just before the test began.
According to Anderson, the boy was “shocked” but did not inform the school administration until about two hours later.
“They took a standardized test. It took approximately an hour and a half. He then went to another class with the student, and as soon as that was finished, he went to the principal’s office and informed him that another student had brought a bullet to school,” the counsel added.
According to Anderson, authorities responded and discovered the bullet in the student’s bag. The pupil with the bullet was suspended for two days.
The 11-year-old who reported it also received a two-day suspension for failing to quickly disclose what he observed, according to the attorney.
“It was startling to [his] mother that he would face the same punishment as the boy who carried the bullet to school. But two, that isn’t even a punishable offense,” Anderson explained.
Rachel Wigand, the boy’s mother, attempted to speak with the principal, but the school refused to reconsider its decision about the suspension. The boy was allowed to go back to school on Monday.
A representative for The Catholic Diocese of Richmond stated that its “culture of safety requires that students and adults alike report potential threats as soon as they become aware of them.”
“In a real emergency, gaps in reporting time may have major consequences for school safety,” a spokeswoman told me. “Our rules support this expectation, and we take our commitment to fast and urgent reporting seriously. As with any disciplinary situation, we view this as an opportunity for kids to learn and progress.”
Michael Riley, the superintendent of Catholic schools, told NBC station WAVY in Portsmouth that the school cannot and will not take chances with student safety.
“As part of this charge, we expect students to bring safety issues to the attention of school staff immediately, and our school safety policies cement this expectation,” the administrator stated.
Wigand explained that her kid did not immediately inform the teacher during class because he wanted to stay nameless.
“But the school forfeited that due to how they handled this,” she added, adding that her son is concerned about being labeled “a snitch.”
She has had to tell him, “You did the right thing.” You keep your head high and tell other youngsters that if they see something, they should report it.”
Anderson stated that he wanted the school to apologize and remove the suspension from the boy’s record. Wigand believes schools should instruct pupils on how to report questionable conduct.
“People keep saying see something, say something, and I agree with that and that’s exactly what my son did,” she told me. “We continually train these youngsters for active shooter drills. “How are we training them to report?”