Senseless act of violence as teen does not get his way
'My children can't even play outside in that time because they will be harassed by the high school children'
A CONCERNED MOTHER writes:
A young boy flying through the air hitting a steel railing, his body limp like a rag doll, out of control hitting the pavement hard and lying in a ball of pain.
This image keeps on playing in my mind, not just mine but my children’s as well. This image is stealing my sleep at night and the ‘what if’ is playing in my mind like a nagging tune over and over again.
On Monday, August 22, I had just picked up my children from school and was on my way home when I saw a high school boy running after a primary school boy riding a bicycle. Without warning the high school boy hit the primary school boy, which caused the young child to fly through the air, hitting a steel railing and landing on the pavement.
Myself and my children were shocked and I pulled to the side of the road with my children screaming, “Mommy, is the boy dead?” I told my children to sit in the car and I ran across the road to check on the primary school boy who was curling with pain on the pavement. The high school boy looked at me with hate and I screamed at him, asking him why he would do such a thing.
“What did this child do to you that you have to react like this?”
The high school boy turned to me and all he said was, “he did not want me”. I put my hand on the primary school boy’s shoulder and asked him what happened.
He tried with all the strength he had to utter the words through the pain, “he wanted to ride on my bicycle and I said no”.
Can this really be? This senseless act of violence because a high school boy didn’t get his way?
I live close to this high school and have on numerous occasions called the school about the bad behaviour of the learners. The school does not respond to any emails or telephone calls whatsoever.
After school, for an hour or more, you cannot drive down the street in front of my house because the children run, play and scream in the street and tease the dogs. When you reprimand these children they swear at you.
They also leave their rubbish scattered in the street and camp out in front of your house like it is their front yard, waiting for taxis to come and collect them.
My children can’t even play outside in that time because they will be harassed by the high school children. I have spoken to various neighbours and they have confirmed they have addressed this issue on numerous occasions with the high school that simply does not respond.
I have even called the police and then the high school children swear at them and tell them to leave them alone.
It seems like the school principal/governing body do not care about what happens after the school bell rings for the end of the day. But it is clear that there are some learners who are menaces and a danger to the community around the school, even an innocent primary school boy riding on his bike home after school.
Isn’t there something that can be done, for instance let the children wait inside the school grounds for their transport to collect them rather than in the street?
