June 1, 2012
HOUSTON: An Indian parent has reported a recent case of extreme racial bullying of his 11 year old twin boys. Born in the United States, to parents born in India, the boys are American Citizens.
They have borne enormous amounts of bullying and race-based ragging by the school children at the Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood. This case has been covered by the KHOU – http://www.khou.com/home/Kingwood-Bullying-151792805.html
June 1, 2012
HOUSTON: An Indian parent has reported a recent case of extreme racial bullying of his 11 year old twin boys. Born in the United States, to parents born in India, the boys are American Citizens.
They have borne enormous amounts of bullying and race-based ragging by the school children at the Creekwood Middle School in Kingwood. This case has been covered by the KHOU – http://www.khou.com/home/Kingwood-Bullying-151792805.html
Reportedly, the boys complained that one of them had been called a terrorist. He had been told that he looked like Osama Bin Laden and was called the underwear bomber. One of boys was punched in his eyes, and the bullies shaved off his eyebrows. While the bullying existed all through the school year, it escalated in April.
All this is happening in a middle school with kids who are barely even in their teens – it probably dreads one to think of what these children, who perpetrate such bullying will become as they grow older!
Allegedly, the district has not taken any concrete action, and the boys’ parents have documented their history of complaints to the district. Since the district had failed to protect the children, the parents were forced to take them out of school and home school them.
The district recently sent a letter to the parents threatening to fine them up to $500 per day if the children did not return to school. But the spokesperson for the Humble Independent School District, Karen Collier apparently told KHOU that the letter was a regular absenteeism warning required to be sent by state law. She said that the parents had supposedly not withdrawn their children from school via formal procedure. If they do so they need not pay any fines.
Collier also seems to have emphasized to KHOU that the district undertakes thorough investigations of all bullying reports and takes suitable action against people who defy school policy. But for the parents, the question is when exactly will this action be taken? The fundamental questions here are, what is the school district going to do and how soon, and more importantly how are they going to ensure that such acts of racial bullying are not repeated?
After all, every parent trusts the institution of “school” to make their children good citizens. While part of this responsibility inarguably lies with parents, (which many parents are perhaps neglecting which is why 11 year olds have resorted to such intimidating acts in the first place), a part of this responsibility also lies with the school. Children spend a large part of their day in school and it is important that schools ensure their safety and security. It remains to be seen what the school district is going to do, in order to regain the trust of not only the young victims’ parents, but the victims themselves who have admitted to being terrified at even the prospect of having to go back to school. Hopefully, the school district will address this pressing matter promptly.
Courtesy: KHOU
