As an ER nurse, I’ve seen my fair share of emergencies, but nothing could have prepared me for the call I received from my daughter’s school. A teacher informed me that my daughter had been involved in an “incident” and needed to come in immediately. I arrived at the school, ready to face whatever had happened, but nothing could have prepared me for the scene that awaited me.
In the principal’s office, I found my daughter, her advisor, a male teacher, the principal, a boy with a bloody nose, and his parents. The principal seemed annoyed that I had taken so long to arrive, but I had been busy saving lives in the ER. As they explained the situation, I realized that my daughter had been subjected to sexual harassment by the boy, who had snapped her bra twice, and when she defended herself, the teacher had told her to “ignore it.”
I was livid. The school seemed more concerned with my daughter’s reaction than the boy’s actions. I turned to my daughter and asked her what had happened. She explained that the boy had kept snapping her bra, and when she told the teacher, he did nothing. So, she took matters into her own hands and punched the boy.
I turned to the teacher and asked him why he had allowed this to happen. Why didn’t he stop the boy? I pointed out that if someone had touched him inappropriately, he would have been outraged. Why was it okay for a student to do the same to my daughter? The teacher seemed uncomfortable, but I didn’t let up.
I turned to the principal and said, “My daughter defended herself against a sexual attack. She’s 5 feet tall and 84 pounds, while the boy is nearly 6 feet tall and 160 pounds. How many times should she have let him touch her?” I was furious that the school had allowed this to happen and that the teacher had failed to protect my daughter.
The boy’s mother was crying, and his father looked both angry and embarrassed. I looked at the principal and said, “I’m taking my daughter home. I hope nothing like this ever happens again, not just to my daughter, but to any other girl at this school.” I reported the incident to the School Board and made sure that my daughter was moved to a different class, away from the teacher and the boy.
As a mother, it’s my job to protect my daughter, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure her safety and well-being. I won’t let anyone, especially not a school, fail her again.
