The mother of a young boy is pleading for action over bullying after an incident at a Christchurch school.
Rita* says her son is scared to return to classes at Halswell School following an alleged assault at the hands of another student.
Medical records show her 10-year-old son suffered a concussion, multiple soft tissue injuries and bruising following an incident on Wednesday.
Rita’s son says another student put him in a headlock by wrapping his arm around his neck and that he was punched in his head, neck, back and chest several times.
In an emotional interview, Rita told 1News: "If the teacher didn't see him, what would have happened? My son would have suffocated. If the teacher was not there, then what would have been the outcome?
"He hasn't been able to move his head up or down. He hasn't been able to sleep. He doesn't want to go to school.
"This boy from the morning was telling him 'I'm going to kill you', and my son thought 'he's just making fun of me' and then no, he was meaning it. And he just grabbed him.”
After allegedly taking a number of hits, eventually a teacher saw what was happening and then stopped him.
The incident has been reported to police.
Rita claims her son has been bullied "multiple times" over the last two years but an incident on Wednesday reached a new level.
"Last year we had a meeting in the school. My son always reported this is happening, all the time,” she said.
"This year, same thing from day one, bullying, bullying, bullying. I'm stressed. Mentally disturbed,” Rita said.
The boy’s father said the incident is “really, really upsetting”. He says he was told by a teacher there was a video of the incident taken on the school’s security cameras but says he and his wife were told they cannot view the video footage.
Rita took her concerns to social media where, in comments seen by 1News, other parents have also expressed concerns about bullying at the school.
"It’s terrible. He's been bullied day-to-day. I don't know how to cope. I have a job, I'm mentally distressed,” she said.
"It's such a hard life. How do you feel? You go to your job; you do hard work. It's not right, it's not fair."
The boy’s dad added: "We are in a difficult position; we have to take days off work. It's not easy being a parent and taking days off."
She says the school asked to meet with her, but she told them she is not ready to talk to them.
But intent on sending a message, Rita made signs for her kids written on posters to try and prompt action from the school on Friday.
One sign said: "I got multiple times bullied and head locked and beaten. in the school in the classroom. I don't deserved that I can't sleep at night I got nightmares and I got bad headaches. I love the school but I'm very afraid to come to school."
The other asked: "All teachers, please please look after the kids properly in the morning tea time and lunch time."
With their support for wanting change, the kids stood outside the school but they did not attend their classes that day.
She said: "I wrote a note and told my children to stand outside of the school, put your note there and someone will come and help you tell your stories.”
In tears, Rita explained she accepted some people might judge her for this, but she felt helpless and determined to do something after feeling there had been no action.
"I want to stand up for my children. I don't mind if people laugh at me," she said.
Acting Co-Principals Tracey Mora and Cathie Zelas acknowledged an incident had taken place on Wednesday and said the school is being supported by the NZ School Trustees Association and the Ministry of Education.
They told 1News: “We responded immediately in line with our disciplinary policy and procedures.
“Halswell School prioritises the care and wellbeing for all children and will act to ensure that all students are safe at our school.”
In regard to specific claims regarding the incident and disciplinary action taken in response, they said: “We all need to be mindful of the care, protection and privacy of our staff, students and parent community.”
They encouraged parents with concerns to speak directly to staff, saying: “The safety and wellbeing of students is paramount and if at any time our community have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of their children, they know they can contact us straight away.”
When asked about the video footage and the parents not being allowed to view it, they said: “We are continuing to be mindful of privacy.
“We are working with the parents to resolve the issue and it is important that we do this in line with our policies and not through the media.”
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