The heartache and worry for those parents who send their children to school every day knowing they are being bullied is unbeliavble. This is often true for middle school where children can go from sweet and cute to cruel and mean in a short space of time. Samantha’s 5-year-old daughter Melisa has a rare brain illness called Microcephaly that causes learning difficulties, speech delay and even makes it hard to grow her hair. When it was time for Melisa to start school, Samantha was understandably worried but never expected the events that have occurred in her young child’s life and for the school’s response.
Melisa started first grade at a primary school and seemed to get on well, until her mom started noticing her hair was getting shorter. Her mom Samantha said since Melisa started school every few months she would come home with her hair cut. “She has come home with her hair cut six times so far,” Samantha told the Metro newspaper. “The first time it happened, the school spoke to the children about how dangerous scissors are.”
Samantha said when it happened again, she spoke to the principal but didn’t get the response she expected. “Her hair was halfway down her back. No matter how many times it has happened, nothing serious has been done about it.” The thought that the other kids were bullying her daughter by cutting her hair was devastating for worried mom Samantha. “Every time it has been cut, I have to cut off another one to two inches to get it straight again, but it takes a while to grow back.” Samantha told the Metro that her condition affects processing in her brain, has made it difficult to form complete sentences and hearing issues which affect her behavior.
“I think because of her condition she gets in with the wrong crowd as she doesn’t understand the difference between what is naughty and what is good.” Samantha now wants the school to stop the kids using scissors but was told by staff that the pupils need them for their education. “This is an ongoing problem, the bullies used school scissors to cut Melisa’s hair,” she said. A school spokesperson told the Metro: “Bullying can have a devastating effect on children and families, and at CTH Primary School, we take any report of alleged bullying extremely seriously, and will always investigate.”
