Posted on 05/17/2023 12:20:55 AM PDT by Morgana
An outraged mother is calling for the bullies that traumatized her disabled son by using his wheelchair while making fun of him to face consequences.
Kimberly Mitchell of Louisiana sent a letter addressing a recent 'senior prank' at Abbeville High School in which students mocked her son Tay'Shawn Landry, who has cerebral palsy and requires a motorized wheelchair.
In the videos, a group is seen in the school wreaking havoc by covering a hallway in toilet paper, stacking desks and chairs on top of each other, and riding around in the wheelchair.
One video shared by the mother shows a student in Landry's chair appearing to slur his speech and make squealing noises while another person recording laughs.
In a post on Facebook, Mitchell said the group 'played with the wrong child and the wrong mama' and 'there will be consequences.'
'Sr. Pranks are fun and all but when you make fun of my disabled kid and his belongings then IT BECOMES MY PROBLEM,' the angry mother wrote.
In an interview with KLFY, Landry said the videos broke his heart and caused him to feel unwilling to return to school.
'I was upset. I was mad. I was crying. I tried to stop myself from crying because I wanted to go to school. [I] couldn't. I was just upset,' he said.
Landry's wheelchair had been in a classroom at the time that the students entered the school, an official with the Vermilion Parish School System said.
'On Friday, videos became available via social media that the students gained access into a locked room that housed an electric wheelchair on loan to an AHS student that uses it during the school day,' Superintendent Tommy Byler wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Schoolkids have been taunting and teasing each other since forever; probably before Homer and Aristotle held lectures on mountainsides.
If the Mom can keep from overdramatizing this event, it might even work to benefit her son.
Loosen up and toughen up a little bit.
If he can absorb this small dose of “mean but harmless” treatment, he will be less likely to crumble after high school, when life provides other bitter lessons about human nature.
Tay had probably been insulated from rudeness much more than a non disabled teenager. You can get past this. Dont retreat into your emotional coccoon again.
Well, this appears to be they used his chair when he wasn’t around, and were doing other things... basically got the keyes to a classroom and pulled some pranks, as part of this some of them rode in the chair and acted like him.
None would likely know about the acting like him part, if they hadn’t stupidly filmed themselves doing it.. and I assume later posting it or sharing it.
The boys clearly should not have done it, but this wasn’t they stole the chair from him and mocked him to his face while using it.
From the story the kids have been made to apologize to him already, and I assume they have faced other disciplinary action for this and other actions they did that day (stacking desks, going into a room they should’t have, etc).
Again, NO they should not have done it, but I am not sure honestly how far you should take this, this is a teachable moment about empathy and humanity. I don’t any of these kids thought about the results of their actions, or had malicious intent in their hearts while doing it, and like teen boys do were caught up, most likely in their moment of stupidity and group mentality. I doubt any of them at the time thought about how it was going to make this boy feel if he saw it.
This isn’t a case where they intentionally did this to his face... and again NO that doesn’t excuse it, but I don’t classify this is the same category as direct intentional bullying and intimidation.
Obviously there could be more to the story, but the parents and family of the boy aren’t alleging this is an ongoing pattern their son has endured from these kids, etc.
So, how far do you take it? Teachable moments when handled correctly help us to grow, when handled incorrect, a huge opportunity is lost.
Obviously, don’t know these kids, don’t know the entire situation.. I understand the parents anger, I know if it was my kid, my first reaction as a father would be to beat the tar out of these snots... but once calming down I would realize, I was a teenage boy once two, and I did stupid thoughtless things... especially in a group scenario.. Fortunately when I was caught doing them the adults around me were wise enough to guide me and teach me, not simply punish me (though I did get punished to)..
I am sure these kids will be punished, and they should be, but I hope this teachable moment isn’t turned into a federal case... unless these kids have a much larger background and history of such behavior.
See 22
I bet they don't go there when they are supposed, too.
I guess I should be in trouble too. When I was in high school, me and some friends liberated a spare wheelchair from someone’s aunt. We went to the mall and pushed each other around, did wheelies and hit curbs where the guy sitting would fall out.
Mocking the boys slurred language is incredibly stupid and heartless, but not criminal.
Also, did you notice that the writer called it HIS wheelchair when it actually belonged to the school?
“School kids have been taunting and teasing each other since forever”
We are going to reach a point where we won’t be able to make fun of Biden.
That is because it is not possible to hold them accountable for anything without being accused of racism. And since fathers are all but non-existent in those families (outside of the fantasy land of TV commercials, of course), they are already out of control when they start school.
Trump should QUIETLY send a new and better motorized wheelchair. Let the family know from whom, but don’t tell the eneMedia.
They definitely did some stupid things but they made it sound like the disabled kid was with them during the incident. I realized that wasn’t true after reading the entire article. Should they be disciplined? I think so. Maybe they should be forced to learn about the difficulties this kid has to go through because of his illness. There are ways to punish them without destroying their lives.
Expel every last one of them Permanently
The little cretins’ faces can be blurred but their hands, legs, hoodies and cornrows are still visible.
Where or where are the administrators and teachers who put on a big front about being against bullying all the time? The fact is the bullies know they run the schools now.
In the early 90’s I briefly substituted at the local high school. There was a kid who had horrible vision, I mean coke bottle glasses, skinny, frail but as sweet as he could be and smart. The other kids in his class and the school looked out for him but one day a bully decided to show his badness by taking it out on this innocent kid. He easily broke his glasses and bloodied him and bruised him.
Seems the bully was going to just get detention for a week or two and that flew all over the school and that wasn’t going to do with the other kids. So one of the good old boys caught the thug who beat the smaller kid up in the hallway and proceeded to do a beat down of Biblical proportions on him. He sent him to the hospital and I was told the words were spoken you best not ever touch “George” again you SOB or you’ll get worse. George was never bothered ever again.
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