My son was given five days of out-of-school suspension for finally standing up to the kid who has been tormenting and bullying him since middle school.
As a parent, I know I’m supposed to be upset—upset that he resorted to violence, upset that he got suspended. I know that’s the reaction I’m expected to have.
But I’m not.
Not even a little bit.
For years, the school system has failed Drew.
When this kid repeatedly threatened to beat Drew up—along with several of his friends—the school did nothing.
When the same kid followed Drew through the halls, mocking him and threatening him, and it was all caught on video, the school still did nothing.
When other students went to teachers and administrators to report that Drew was being threatened, the school did nothing.
When the threats moved to social media, voicemails, and text messages, the school did nothing.
When Drew was threatened over and over again in every class they shared, the school did nothing.
Not once—not once—has the school ever punished the kid who has consistently bullied and threatened my son.
In middle school, Drew became afraid to even walk down the halls because this kid and his group of friends would swarm him, mock him, and make threats. Eventually, Drew stopped reporting it altogether. Every time he spoke up, nothing changed—and often, things only got worse.
At the beginning of this school year, I sent a long, desperate email to the school, begging them to intervene. Drew refused to talk to adults at school anymore because he already knew it would lead nowhere.
He shared four classes with this kid, and the harassment never stopped.
The school’s solution?
They made Drew and his bully sign a “no contact” contract.
Seriously.
I’m fairly certain I rolled my eyes—hard. And just like Drew, I eventually gave up hope that the school would do anything meaningful to protect him.
So when this kid threatened Drew again—this time on the bus—and then moved on to mocking his father and threatening his 11-year-old brother, Jackson, something shifted.
Drew decided he was done relying on adults who were supposed to protect him but never did.
He decided he would handle it himself.
Three punches later, the bully screamed like a baby. His group of friends fell silent. And the next morning, the bully wouldn’t even look at Drew.
Problem solved.
As a parent, I know I’m supposed to be upset that my son resorted to violence or that he was suspended.
But I’m not.
Not even a little bit.
