Happy Birthday to You?

It had seemed that things were quiet at school, but Colton's behavior and demeanor started changing.  We knew something was wrong.  Colton would try to say things were ok, but we could tell something was bothering him and we would have to work at getting him to tell us what it was.  He started complaining about being sick and on a chilly day at the end of February, I received a call from the school nurse stating Colton had been in her office for the third time in an hour and a half.  Each time was a new symptom, but he was not running a fever so they could not release him from school unless I took him to the doctor.  I dropped the shopping I was doing, called his pediatrician and drove the hour to the school to pick him up.  He looked miserable.

The pediatrician checked him over and everything was fine.  I was mad because it meant paying for a doctor's visit when there was nothing wrong with him.  I could tell something was wrong, but it was mental not physical.  Colton was fine after we got home and did well through the weekend.  Monday morning rolled around and he was "sick" again.  He does struggle with anxiety and I started suspecting something was happening at school again. 

On February 27, 2012 I attempted to call the guidance counselor at 7:25 A.M.  I was told he was not in yet, but he would call me when he got there.  The guidance counselor returned my call at 2:26 P.M.  I explained Colton's symptoms, and explained that we thought something was going on at school that needed addressed.  I was told that it would be looked into and the teachers would be asked it they knew of anything or changes in behavior.  Note the time span between when I called and how I was told he would call when he got in.  School dismissed at about 3:25.  He doesn't put in long days, does he?

When Colton came home on the very same day he shared with us that he was hit in the head by another student during English class.  We asked what he did and he admitted he had put his feet on his desk and it slid into this person's arm.  Colton told us it had happened the week before and ever since the other student had been doing things.  James sent emails to the guidance counselor, school therapist, and the teacher who had the class the incident occurred in.  While James was typing, Colton showed me his leg.  He had a two to three inch long, by one inch wide red mark on it.

 

The student that had hit him in the head the Friday before had kicked Colton why they waited for lunch on this day.

 

February 28, 2012

Since my experience with calling and requesting to talk to people at the school usually ended with no returned calls or calls late in the day, I decided trying to email the guidance counselor early in the morning.  He called me at 9:46 A.M.!  The guidance counselor had already spoke to Colton and he did admit to putting his feet on his desk which caused it to slide into the other student's arm.  The other student was caught hitting Colton in the head, but the student denied kicking him at lunch.  The guidance counselor reviewed the video tape from the area they were in and asked other students that were there what happened.  The video showed that the other student kicked Colton.  I was told that the principal would be advised and there would be a consequence. 

 

I had been informed that Colton was told he instigated things that happened to him by pushing the desk into the other student's arm and shouldn't have done it.  Mind you, Colton put his feet on it, and it slid forward on the carpet into the other student's arm.  It was not malicious, it just happened.  The other student had been lashing out at Colton since the incident happened days before.  This came to an end the day we celebrated his 13th birthday. 

 

To be continued...