A mother's outcry puts school bullying in spotlight
BEIJING -- A Beijing mother's article describing how her 10-year-old son was bullied at school went viral, bringing back memories for Chinese people who were bullied and triggering widespread discussion on parenting.
Zhongguancun Second Primary School, a renowned primary school in Haidian district, on Saturday morning issued a statement saying it has been communicating with parents on both sides, and called for the public to let the school handle the situation.
"The school has been actively talking with the relevant parents to solve the dispute objectively and fairly. Further effort will be made to achieve an outcome that is recognized by all
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After having a toilet waste-paper basket thrown on his head and being mocked by other classmates, the fourth-grade boy was diagnosed with acute stress disorder, a mental illness characterized by severe anxiety, according to the article published online Thursday.
It said the school described the case as a "joke that went too far," and that the parents of the boy who threw the basket believed their son was "just being naughty."
The mother wrote that her son had been bullied for almost a year by his classmate.
The father, surnamed Wang, told Xinhua that his son is still emotionally unstable and not currently going to school.
"We are accompanying him to adjust, and he will not return to school until the case is closed," he said.
The parents of the bully have not yet answered their phone calls.
Although the article has not been verified by the other party or the authorities, it has been shared over 100,000 times on WeChat, and read over 6 million times on Weibo, a Twitter-like service.
People expressed their outrage over the matter, and recalled their past experiences of being bullied.
