Warning: This story contains graphic imagery and may be disturbing to some readers.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— A mother in Newport News claims her son is being bullied, which landed him in the hospital with serious injuries.
After a year of frustration, the boy's family reached out to News 3 to get some answers.
News 3 reporter Kelsey Jones spoke with the great-grandmother and mother of the 9-year-old student who attends Saunder's Elementary School. They said this recent act of bullying was the last straw.
"This is ridiculous, kids shouldn't have to fear to go to school," said Velmaree Hill, the child's great-grandmother.
The 9-year-old told News 3 about where he's feeling pain, saying he was hit in the face, and his mouth continues to hurt, alleging he was a target for bullies.
"They picked me up and slammed me right on my face," the boy said. "They started stepping on me and punching me. I crawled out the bathroom."
The boy's mother didn't realize how serious the boy's injuries were until they got to the hospital.
"He got his X-Rays done," his mother said. "His nose was fractured, so was his rib."
The mother says this is not the first time her son has been bullied.
"This has been going on for years," she said.
She also says she has reached out to police and filed a report. Newport News police said they are looking into this incident.
"I refuse to not be his voice and just let it go on and nobody do anything," Hill said. "That's ridiculous."
News 3 reached out to Newport News Public School's spokesperson Michelle Price and they sent a statement saying:
"All reports of bullying are thoroughly investigated by school administrators. Bullying and other negative behaviors are not tolerated in Newport News Public Schools. The school division’s youth development leaders work to promote positive experiences, relationships and environments for every student. One such initiative is STAND. STAND is student-led and challenges students, teachers, staff, parents and the community to work together to create and maintain a positive school culture and to discourage bullying and harassing behaviors among peers."
Dr. James Graves, the president of the Newport News Education Association says there are signs of bullying parents should watch out for.
"When a child is kind of calm or quiet and they're normally more active, you should go to your child and ask them what's going on," Dr. Graves said. "When a child is acting out or missing school and you find out a child is skipping a certain class that's also a concern."
As a high school teacher, Graves said incidents of bullying have increased since the pandemic.
"At times we've had bullying happen, but as an educator, we are strictly told to make sure we stop the bullying as soon as we see it," said Graves.
The family says they have not heard anything from current school leaders or district officials about the situation.
"He's not going back for the remainder of the year because I don't feel that he's going to be safe," said Hill.
NNPS does have a bullying prevention tool, called "Speak up for Safety" which allows anyone in the school and parents to notify the district of incidents.
