Woodland, Washington - Swastikas, N-word among taunts at Woodland school
Tom Hammond says what happened to his son Caleb at Woodland Intermediate School shouldn't happen to any child.
The incident took place last Thursday. Hammond told KATU News that a number of students surrounded his son and asked him if he was a Jew. His son Caleb said “maybe” at which point the other kids allegedly drew swastikas on their hands and said “these repel you."
From there, the attack got worse.
From there, the attack got worse.
“They surrounded him, kicking him in the stomach,” Hammond said. “ We're not sure which kids threw rocks and hit him in the back. And then there was two other kids in the background acting like they were runnin' little video cameras goin' 'look at the gay dude.'”
“Enough is enough,” Hammond said. “It's time for it to stop.”
It appears the attack on Caleb is not an isolated incident. Other parents and kids are coming forward, saying the school isn't doing enough to stop student racial slurs.
Student Gillian Brockman said she was called “nigger” by another girl at the school, but when she talked to a teacher to report the incident, she was rebuffed.
“When they called me that word, I was like, 'wow,'” Gillian told KATU News. “That really made me mad and like my mom said, my teacher really didn't believe me. And he was like 'oh, she would never do that to anybody.'”
“It's like they don't want to deal with it so they just want to make it go away,” Thalysa Jarvis, Gillian’s mother said. “ And that's what it seems like is going on.”
The school district has indicated it will take special action in light of the incidents by bringing in a school safety and bullying prevention specialist on Monday.
The experts “will give us that external set of eyes to what can we do to improve the climate,” Woodlawn Public Schools Superintendent Michael Green said.
But some parents are so concerned, they said they plan to take those concerns to the school board itself at a meeting April 26th.
KATU
I have 3 boys that have all gone through that school. Thankfully, my youngest is finishing his last year there now. All three have gone through gang attacks at some point while being students there. In each case, nothing was done about it. But my son is constantly being suspended from school for lesser offenses. I can't wait to be done with this school once and for all.
ReplyDeletewould you be willing to stand up for our kids and make your voice be heard? there is a real problem with calebs school. more families keep coming forward. some of their stories are very bad. One little boy was attacked by 4 boys,and beaten severly. He now has suffered perm.eye damage- a detached retina. the school administration has done nothing about it at all
ReplyDeleteI would also like to ask all parents of bullied children from this school to contact me. My name is in the woodland ph book. There are plans being made to make sure that you are all going to be heard.
ReplyDeletemy oppinion is that the principal and the superintendant of schools for that area need to be replaced!!!!!! I know that many of these problems over time have been brought up to both the pricipal and superindendant and nothing gets done until now when this father started contacting the news channels because the superintendant didn't find his phone calls to him urgent enough to call him back, that is not until he found out the news channels were taking an interest. Since this has been happening for so long then it proves those 2 people(principal and suprentendant need to be fired and replaced by people who will listen to our children and realize this type of things will not ever be tolerated at all. In my eyes Tom Hammond is a extremely good father as he knows not to allow this to happen to any child no matter who they are. Tom I thank you for being not only a spokesman and hero to your son but for all our sons and daughters of our great nation.Take a bow my young man and let freedom continue to ring through your voice. sincerely a mother who totally understands.
ReplyDeleteI personally know Tom, Dana, and Caleb Hammond! They are one of the most caring and friendliest families I have ever met! I can not believe that there is children attending school that treat other children in such terrible ways! The Hammond family deserves the upmost respect and gratitude for their kindness and Caleb is one of the most well behaved young men I have ever met and should never be treated the way he has been at school! I am very glad there is parents out there like Tom and Dana that listen to their child and are always willing to help in any way!
ReplyDeleteBunch of Bull!
ReplyDelete