Father believes district did not do enough with incident involving son
By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – A father took issue with how the Upper Township Middle School handled an incident in which his son lost consciousness at the school.
At the May 19 Upper Township Board of Education meeting, held remotely because of the ongoing pandemic, the father took issue with the response to what he believes is a case of bullying in the school. He said the boy’s mother was standing next to him by the phone and helped prepare the statement.
The father gave his name, as required for public comment, and his wife’s name, and repeatedly mentioned his son’s name. The Sentinel has withheld the names out of concern for identifying the child involved.
At the meeting, school Superintended Vincent Palmieri told the father that other members of the community were on the line at the public meeting, and suggested he may prefer to discuss the matter with the board at a closed session, but the father wanted to proceed.
He described an incident in which another boy taunted his son, calling him rude names and feigning hitting him with a lunchbox. According to the man’s description, his son did not engage and tried to walk away, at which point the other boy struck him in the groin with the lunchbox.
His son lost consciousness and fell with his head between two metal rails. The man described a security camera video of the incident in which his son appears to lose balance before falling. He said his son later reported feeling anxiety, stress and anger before he was struck.
The boy has a heart condition and takes aspirin regularly. The father said his head should have been immobilized and an ambulance called. Instead, he said, some of the other children helped him up and into the nurse’s office.
When his mother arrived, the boy was alert and awake, but obviously upset, the man said. He had bruises and swelling, the father told the board. They took him to the emergency room that night, but he wanted to go to school the next day. He said Principal Jeff Leek told him the other boy received detention, which the father saw as insufficient. The parents were told that the other boy was unlikely to be charged with bullying or the incident reported under the state’s harassment, intimidation and bullying codes.
He said Palmieri did encourage them to file a police report, which they did, but there were no charges.
According to the father’s comments, the school staff believed the impact was little more than a tap. He expressed anger that his son’s heart condition was blamed, arguing that nothing would have happened if the other boy had not pursued and insulted his son.
He also said he was told that boys will often behave that way with other boys.
“Our son does not use this language or behavior,” he told the board.
A cardiologist found that the son’s heart condition was not likely a contributing factor, he said, but he later added that the emotional trauma of the incident likely did contribute to the loss of consciousness.
The man outlined three concerns about the school’s handling of the incident. First, that the school nurse did not know his son was on aspirin therapy or about his heart condition. Second, he said he should not have been moved if there was a possibility of a neck injury and that an ambulance should have been called, and finally that the disciplinary action was minimal.
He said he does not believe the other boy intended that level of injury to his son, but if he had not pursued, harassed and hit him none of this would have happened.
The incident took place this year, before the schools were shut for the pandemic.
“We hope that by telling our story, we can start a conversation about how bullying is defined and punished,” he said at the meeting. Both students acknowledge the situation included bullying, he said.
The speaker suggested the school may prefer not to report incidents of bullying.
“I think the system needs to be reviewed,” he said.
He was asked if he intended to appeal the school’s decision to not rule the situation as bullying, but he said the point was likely moot.
Palmieri said he filled the board in about the incident at last month’s meeting. He said there is no requirement for the board to take action.
There were 24 investigations of harassment, intimidation and bullying accusations while the school was in normal session this school year.
“That is something that we do take seriously,” he said. “There are times when we are frustrated with the results, and we share that frustration with you and other families.”
Palmieri said the definition under the state guidelines does not always give the results they want, adding that the school does not write the laws.
Board President Michele Barbieri said the board was grateful that the parents informed the board, and said the district constantly reevaluates its systems and procedures.