A Charles County second grader was hospitalized this weekend after he was injured in a bathroom incident inside his elementary school.
News4 spoke with the parents and is protecting the identities of them and their child.
“I got a message saying that he is in the back of an ambulance with the principal,” the father said. “In the message it didn’t say what was the reason.”
When the parents were given more information from the principal, it only led to more questions.
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“She told me that he was in the bathroom with another student and somehow, some way he ended up on a hook,” he said.
A letter went out to parents from Barnhart Principal Carrie Burke saying, “two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom, when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall-door hook. the student was not able to free themselves and the other student involved was also not able to help them.”
The letter went on to explain that the other student went to seek help and that an administrator came to the seven-year-old’s aid while staff dialed 911.
After the incident, the second grader was hospitalized with serious injuries.
“Once we got to the hospital, the principal told me how she found my son,” the mother said. “She said he was foaming at the mouth and unresponsive and she had to get him down.”
The principal’s letter also sought to dispell the initial notion that characterised it as a possible suicide attempt.
The principal’s letter also sought to dispell the initial notion that characterised it as a possible suicide attempt.
“What type of horseplay leaves a child up on a hook?” she said.
An Instagram post about the incident has since gone viral online. The student’s parents said they want attention brought to the situation and they want answers, but they don’t want the wrong kind of attention. They said they’re not feeling hatred toward the other child, whom they know only as a fourth grader.
“We don’t want any harm done to this child because we’ve seen what social media does when something this serious does happen,” the father said.
While the student is now out of the hospital, his parents said he is still traumatized, especially when it comes to talking about the incident.
“Every single time I try to get into details, he just bursts out crying,” the mother said. “I have so many questions, and I just want answers.”
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office says it is working with the school system to investigate what happened.
Stay with News4 for updates on-air and on NBCWashington.com.
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