A grade 1 pupil from the prestigious St Stithians College has been left with hearing problems following an alleged bullying incident by a fellow learner.
The boy allegedly shoved pencil shavings in her ears and threatened to put the entire pencil inside one of her ears if she told anyone.
The child’s mother said this was not the first time her child had been bullied at the private school in Lyme Park, Sandton, in the 10 months she had been there.
She has since decided to move her daughter out of the school because it seemed it was not taking her concerns seriously in terms of what it called “following the [disciplinary] process”.
We have several robust policies in place: school-specific anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and guidelines.
— School’s rector, Celeste Gilgard
The school did not comment on the mother’s allegations in its response to Sowetan, but said bullying is a phenomenon that occurs in all schools and that they proactively monitor, prevent, and manage it.
“We have several robust policies in place: school-specific anti-bullying and safeguarding policies and guidelines,” said the school’s rector, Celeste Gilgard.
The mother, who can’t be named to protect her daughter’s identity, said she noticed some changes in her child as far back as July. She was timid and not her usual bubbly self, and even lost her appetite, she said.
“One day, she came home with a torn uniform and bruises. When I asked her what had happened, she said she had fallen.”
However, the girl confessed a week before the third-term school break that she had been beaten up by a boy in the same grade, the mother said.
The incident was allegedly captured by cameras at the school.
“When school break came, we were home, and she was watching TV,” the mother said. “I realised it was too loud and asked her to reduce the volume. From her body language, it seemed she could barely hear me. I quickly called the family doctor in for a check-up, and the doctor confirmed pencil shavings were found in both her ears, which is why she could barely hear.”
The doctor’s report seen by Sowetan reads: “On examination, both ears were full of foreign bodies. Removed by me in the presence of her uncle. [The] left ear is not 100% clear yet. I asked if anyone had put these in her ears, and she said yes. My medical opinion is to believe her. Her ears will be re-checked on Monday, 27 October.”
The mother said the decision to pull her child out of the school was hard, saying she believed the boy was supposed to have been suspended.
The feedback she received on why he was still in her daughter’s class was based on the school “following the process”.
“I believe such conduct warrants an immediate suspension pending the outcome, but the same boy was in class this week,” she said.
This incident is said to reflect a broader pattern of bullying at the school that some claim has not been adequately addressed by management.
Another parent at the school alleged their child was pushed off a tree and sustained injuries.
Gilgard told Sowetan that the school’s disciplinary committee, comprising representative staff from each school sector, is required to regularly report to the rector on all disciplinary matters.
“All our staff are continually trained and equipped to respond swiftly and impartially to children’s social behaviours across all the developmental stages upon which our holistic educational offerings are intentionally designed,” Gilgard said.
Sowetan
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.