Police called to Brac bullying incident
(CNS): A 4-year-old child in a Reception class at a Cayman Brac primary school was hit by an adult on school premises Thursday following a squabble between children as they crossed the school yard escorted by teachers at the end of the school day. Police were called to the school to investigate the incident as well as later escalations and threats made on social media sites. Education officials said that as the children were crossing the school grounds one Reception class student hit another and as a result the elder sister (18) of the victim who was waiting at the gate went on to the school grounds and hit the other child.
The police were called and are also understood to be investigating other threats that have passed between the various families concerned on Facebook. It is understood that the children were removed from the school on Friday for their safety.
Category: Crime
We all need to be careful of what we call bullying. CHildren will fight at any age but constantly reminding and showing them what is appropriate behaviour is part of the solution. Regardless of how it happened, an adult slapping a child who has just hit another is the same thing. In other words, slap for slap so no resolution we will keep hitting each other till someone gets hurt or tired! My point Children learn behaviour so how adults handle situations is what we teach our children to do. THis should be a teaching moment for everyone concerned and so I hope that in spite of the sadness of it all , that we will take the time to learn from it. It can happen anywhere! I remember when my son was little his best friend went to hug him and a lady who was not a part of our family interfered and said boys dont hug each other. I told her to get lost – nicely though – and let the boys hug. That to be was so much better than punching each other in the face. So if we want our kids to be Macho, then this is what we get Thugs!
Children who are violent are usually from violent homes themselves! They are a product of their environment!
Did you read the article? These are 4 year old children for God's sake!!!! The parents of the child who allegedly hit the other child are good people!
In reference to 'Cayman News service needs to' .Posted oct. 23 @7:42. So, you think it is okay for an adult to hit a 4 year old in retaliation? That is the 'Story'. Why are you angry with CNS? I went through the school system in The Cayman Islands and I am well aware of the bullying that occurs at school. There were many teachers who were sadists & should never have been working with children and there were students who were very cruel. When my son started Primary School I was very vigilant in checking to see what was happening with him there. My diligence did not prevent him from being seriouly bullied; I eventually had to remove him from The Cayman School System entirely at age 8 years old….yes, it was that bad! I agree that some teachers really do not pay close attention to what is happening with the students and that NEEDS to be remedied! However, there is NEVER an occasion when it is acceptable for an adult to assault someone else's child. You make it sound as if she was justified in doing what she did. This entire incident could have been avoided if the children were being properly supervised, but this 19 year old bully was wrong!
I am a parent of a 3 year old boy. My child started reception this past September and has been confronted with situations of bullying by other children. On one occassion i took my child to school one morning and while in his class speaking to his teacher, he took out some fruits to eat and another child in the class came over to my son and pushed him off his chair causing him to hit his head on the wall and proceeded to eat his fruits. I stood and watch to see my child's response and he got up came to the teacher explaining what happened. The teacher proceeded to tell my son that he should share his fruits not addressing the behaviour of the other child. Note: this was in my presence so you can imagine what would have happened if iwas not there. i had to correct the teacher and let her know that is not acceptable. while i do agree that sharing is good, the child was bullying my son and that cannot be allowed to happen. I took the child up from the seat and gave him a firm but loving talk and insisted that he apologized to my child and do not let this behavior repeat itself. The afternoon i went to the school a little before school ended as i wanted to speak to the parents of the child. When i spoke to the mother, her response was "did your son get any hurt, or bruse or bleed" and i told her no, she then said why am i telling her then. children will be children. Now honestly felt like giving the mother a proper beating for failing to raise her child correctly and for grooming a future criminal but i restrained myself. I am saying this to say that in the situation presented above there are a number of parties wrong.
1) the teacher(s) should have been paying attention
2) the child that was bullying or slapping, or shoving the boy needs to be spoken to and disciplined whether by withdrawing toys, play time or slapping on the bottom. whatever method works
3) the older sister (19) who i still consider a child as it relates to child rearing was also wrong for slapping the other child, because she doesnt know how that would have been received by the parents.
Finally, bullying is a real issue in Cayman especially in our public school that needs to be addressed and yes it starts from that tender age. it is not easy for any child to go through that or for any parent to see that happening to his/her child or relative and dont feel the need to respond, but self controll is key and teaching your child to defend him/herself is also KEY!
Amen.
CaymanNewsService need to do proper investigations before reporting false information. This story is almost being made to sound like an adult walked on the grounds and slapped a 4 year old. This is far from the truth. I think you need to listen to Cayman27 Mona Lisa who gave the true facts of the matter before you pass judgement. I believe that viewers minds are being distorted from the real issue and instead now that the incident has been revealed they are trying to make this out to be about an adult slapping a child. In Finance Committee on Friday, Miss Shirley Whaller gave remarks based on what was reported to her in reply to questions from Hon Arden McLean who made his comments based on the information he too is hearing, he wants the book throwed at the 19 year old adult. But we need to hear the true facts before we pass judgement. Miss Tara Rivers has reported that she spoke to the principle and she feels the matter is being dealt with appropriately. Note: The principle was not there, the teacher had to ask the adult what happen. Does this sound like the school was escorting and paying attention to a classf 4 year olds?. This was not simply a case that one 4 year old slapped the other. Read and tell me if this is not the school/education or someone reporting incorrect information up the chain. Trying to distort this story and turn this around to make this be about an adult slapping a child instead of a clear case of negilence on the school's part in allowing this incident to happen in the first place. Picture this you arrive to the school to pick your son or daughter up, on walking the corridor you hear them screaming; "stop, stop. you proceed with haste as you don't hear the screams stopping on getting in view of your son/daughter you see him not just being slapped but being beating over the head and being punched in the eye. All this time all your son/daughter is doing is using one hand to cover his head from the blows and the other hand trying to push the child off. When you look you see two teachers who it would have been impossible for them not to hear what was happenning as they were right in the area. After the incident had already happen one of the teachers comes over and asks you what happen you give her a good telling off as you indicate; I should be asking you what happen?. Had I not come you would not have been able to tell me what happenning to my bb brother's eye or why his head is hurting. Now tell me what is wrong with that picture. Should it not be the teacher being able to tell you why your son/daughter's eye is bruised and why he is complaining for his head?. What would be the need to ask you, "what happenned, had they been paying attention?". I understand that we can't keep our eyes on our children all the time, but this isn't the case of us keeping our eyes on our children. This is us leaving our children in the care of adults who are being paid to watch over our 4 year old babies, while they impart knowledge. So readers don't past judgement on this young 19 year old who was only trying to protect her sweet bb brother, who doesn't have a bone of hate in his heart. who wasn't even fighting back. Who was only trying to protect himself from the blows being levied on him. I know God knows what happenned and it isn't as is being reported and they are looking to put the book on the 19 year old. when this is a clear cut case of neglience and bullying being allowed to happen. So I say if they are going to bring charges on the 19 year old, there are a few others who also need to be reprimanded, the school i.e the teachers who allowed this incident to happen in the first instance. Note: I say to everyone this incident could have been fatal, this is a 4 year old victim who has a medical problem from birth, and who has to be careful of getting blows to his head. Especially when they can be avoided, so tell me where is justice for the 4 year old victim. Everyone is trying to throw the book at his 19 year old guardian his sister, who has been more like a mother to him from birth. I say to the 19 year old, while they say you shouldn't have slapped the little boy. I understand your plight as I heard you say, you don't teach your brother to fight and if it was the parents of the other boy and your brother was doing what you saw their son doing, you would expect them toscold your brother. That to me is sensible. I know Hon Arden Mclean knows those were the days when you did wrong outside your home, the adults would give you a proper flogging and when you got home your parents already knew and you would get another from your own parents. Then the village raised the child. And that is why we have good citzens from that lot. Now they have taken the strap from the schools and children are allowed to do anything and they get time out in the corner, or stay in from breaktime. Well I am sorry to say I got many a flogging and it wasn't seen as abuse. It has made me the person I am today. So this is nothing more than this. Listen to the 19 year old. This is not just her walking off the street and slapping a child, this is her doing what any parent would have done. I am sorry put your shoes on her foot. She didn't go in their and pound the child. She gave the child one slap and told him not to do that. It may not be her place and she is wrong for that. There is a bigger picture here, "Where is justice for bb brother and why were these children not being properly supervised?" These are babies.
An adult hit a child, who they had no right to hit.
Do Brackers still live in the 19th centruy when "an eye for an eye" was the practice?
The person who did the salpping dealt with this in the wrong manner, thats the bottom line. Blame the school, blame whoever, the fact is the person hit a child, who was not theirs, and so is guilty of assault. End of story.
Just want to know what would every boby be saying if the girls baby brothers eye had been seriously injured. Just saying its all possible when you allow children to be bullies or be bullied. And another Ting.
Did you ever hear of paragraphs? Writing without them makes your post difficult to read which will turn off many readers although I am sure you have legitimatepoints to make.
Unfortunately I had a problem with the system. However you can clearly read I am no fool. I had a problem with the site, it wouldn’t allow me to press enter. And I didn’t even think the post went as it was showing it hadn’t loaded. But if you are finding it difficult then maybe you weren’t meant to read it.
Try hitting someone's kid here in grand. And … Well u know!
It was a big mistake when we took the strap out of the classroom. We raised much better children those days. Perhaps the only chastisment that child was going to get. I have no gripes as long as it was a moderate slap on the bottom.
Are they not simply handling themselves in much the same manner as our “honorable” parliamentarians?
What’s good for our esteemed leaders is surely good for our children.
There are alot of bullying going on in our schools. But 4 years old seems to be very young for these kids to start such behavior. Parents need to talk to their children at a very young age about bullying and the effects it can have on the bully and the child being bullied. I certainly don't feel that it was right for the sister to hit the child, but it doesn't say how old the sister was, so maybe she was not an adult and this was a result of one elder sister helping her younger sibling out. I did that many times in school when I saw my younger brother being bothered by other kids. Sometimes a good dose of what that child likes to give out themselves is what they need to understand.
Sad all the way around, where were the teachers whent he kids were squabbling? Why were they allowed to squabble to the extent that one child was injured (I saw the pics of this child's eye)? And what would possess the adult to hit the other child? These kids were in the care of the school at the time and she should have rightfully brought it to the attention of the teachers on site and demand thier intervention and explanation as to what happened, if they were unable to tell her clearly what took place then that would be cause for alarm as it would indicate they werent paying attention. 4 year olds are babies for christ sake and need constant supervision. If its a case of bullying then the offending child's parents need to be informed of thier child's behaviou because as I understood when the young lady called the talk show this wouldnt have been the first time her brother was beat up. The proper measures and facilities need to be put in place to ensure protection of our kids on school grounds no matter what age they are. If this chil is "special needs" that would factor in to why he's being bullied and its obvious he's not inthe right place if the case is that he's "special needs". Situation is always worse when adults act like children. Please grow up and set an example!
Well, its easy to see where the children learned that hitting was OK.
No not dragged uppie -special needs and there are no facilities here in the Brac to deal with these special children so they are just left to flounder in the regular system with the school officials ignoring problems in the hope that it will just go away.
It is the adult that is the issue.
The problem is the adult but speaking of special needs, it's not like any of these children need to be in a special facility. With the proper resources, they can be productive members of society. Having specialists come over once a month or in some cases once a year just isn't enough for the children. Because there are just a few children, governement won't send them to the Brac. Contrary to popular opinon, their needs are better met in a regular school so they can learn to interact properly with other children and if early intervention happens it is very successful.
I hope nobody is ever stupid enough to try this with my child. Children are children and things like this will ALWAYS happen. They war one minute and the next they are best friends again. Parents/family need not to be so damn ignorant and take their anger out on defenseless kids.
You need to get the facts before you post your ignorant comments. This is what happens when there is consistent bullying of which the school officials are well aware and because of who the children are for they choose to ignore the problem. At some point enough is enough and this just shows when you cannot get the attention of the authorities the right way the wrong way certainly gets their attention.
There is no excuse for a grown adult to hit a four year old child. None.
Nope, please don't try to defend an adult hitting a child.
That doesn't give an adult the right to hit a child. They are 5 year olds for goodness sake. No one has the right to hit people's children. If it was my son….the adult would get it back from me. The adult should have separated them and that was it.
I would love to tell you exactly what to do but CNS will not post it. Hitting a 4 year old defenseless child for shoving another child the same age range is ridiculous no matter what you say. If you think it is ok to do this just to get a point across or to get the attention of officials as you put it is wrong. My child is also 4 years old and comes home telling me about his little squabbles at pre-school everyday just to call them his friends in another sentence. He has scratches and bruises from other kids and I know he has likely inflicted the same but what should I do? Go attack lil kids for it?? I don't know of a 4 year old that holds malice/grudges with anyone much less another child. I'm not a fighter but harm to little children really irks me and if this were my kid that got hit by an adult for shoving another child I would open up a can of whoop a$$!
09:53, are you the adult in question?
It will be very disappointing if this does not result in charges. Hitting children is something that the police have to take very seriously. There is no point in having public campaigns against domestic abuse etc and then sweeping something like this under the carpet.
Good to see from the "thumbs down" that there are readers who support child abuse.
Clear case of "dragged upsie" – what a way to behave – I hope the "adult" is prosecuted. If a young child, i.e. aged four, hits another who is the same age, this doesn't give an adult any right to hit the offending child. What gets me is how on earth are kids aged four squabbling to such extremes anyway? Like I say, clearly a case of "dragged upsie" – I feel bad for the children who think its OK to act in this way, and then grow up to be someone who hits a four year old. Shocking.