EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A mom said her son endured bullying for months on his school bus, and school administrators did little to stop it.
India Gingery said her son Gabriel, 11, would ride the bus home from Columbus Elementary School.
Another boy would slap Gabriel on the head and made racist comments.
“He was being called racial slurs, the “n” word, gorilla,” Gingery said.
Gingery said the bullying had been going on for months, but her son just opened up to her a few weeks ago. When she did find out about it, she immediately called the school principal.
About a month went by, and again, Gabriel came home in tears. Gingery thought the school had addressed the situation.
“Nothing was done at all for my son,” she said.
Then, Gabriel did something that nearly broke his mom’s heart.
“He tried to bleach himself to make himself white, so he wouldn't be call the “n” word again,” she said. “It made me feel angry. He feels like he needs to change himself.”
Gingery said the school needs to look at whether it’s truly following the anti-bullying procedures.
“I hope they can learn a lesson that this will not tolerated,” Gingery said. “Anyone who has a child should not have to go through that and when they do, it should be taken care of.”
Gingery has scheduled a meeting with the Superintendent of Edwardsville District 7, Dr. Lynda Andre.
“We take all allegations of bullying seriously, and we will investigate the parent’s concerns,”
