Some parents with children in the Escondido Union School District want more done about the problem of bullying at one elementary school.
The parents told NBC 7, they have taken their concerns to the school board, and despite assurances, nothing has been done.
“I was bullied four times,” said Hunter, a 5-year-old kindergarten student at Pioneer Elementary School in Escondido. “Bullied and beaten up, and got called ugly.”
Hunter’s mother, Celina Toes said 10 days ago, when she picked up Hunter at school, she noticed scratches on his face and a welt on his neck. She took pictures and had him document what happened.
She told NBC 7, she soon discovered it was not the first time.
Toes said her son was told, “He doesn’t’ speak Spanish, He doesn't belong here."
"The bullying needs to stop,” she added.
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A second grader at Pioneer Elementary also described how she was beaten up.
Kaylea told NBC 7, she was laying on the grass at school during lunch when a boy “started kicking [her].”
“A boy came up and kicked her in the side, kicked her in the stomach," her grandmother Maria Erxleben added. "When she went to get up, he stomped on her back.”
Erxleben said the beating was so bad, she had to rush Kaylea to the doctor where she was told there could be a possible problem with the young girl's liver.
“This is beyond bullying. This is not bullying. This is criminal. He beat her, not with his hands but with his feet. He beat her," she said.
Erxleben addd that despite assurances, the boy is still in Kaylea's lunch and Physical Education class. The P.E teacher was not even made aware of the incident.
“There's a lot of students being hurt at school and it's not being taken care of," Erxleben told NBC 7.
Toves said, “How am I supposed to let my child go to school and have him feel safe going in the gate?”
Kaylea said the school not doing anything about the bullying is making it worse.
“Nothing happens so a lot of people keep bullying,” she said.
Friday afternoon, parents will hold a rally after school to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive problem.
Escondido Union School District superintendent Dr. Luis Ibarra issued the following statement:
“The Escondido Union School District is committed to a safe and respectful environment where all students have an opportunity to learn and achieve. We investigate all complaints and are more than willing to sit down with parents to resolve any issue or concern. The safety and educational achievement of our students will continue to be our highest priority”.
