A Charles County second grader was hospitalized with serious injuries after he was hurt Friday while "horseplaying" in a bathroom inside his elementary school, school officials said. The Charles County Sheriff's Office is now helping the school investigate as the boy's parents demand answers.
News4 started asking school officials and law enforcement questions after an Instagram post by the 7-year-old boy's mother went viral. News4 spoke with the parents and is protecting the identities of the family members.
“I got a message saying that he is in the back of an ambulance with the principal,” the boy's father said. “In the message, it didn’t say what was the reason.”
When the boy's 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.
“Once we got to the hospital, the principal told me how she found our son,” the boy's mother said. “She said he was foaming at the mouth and unresponsive and she had to get him down.”
Barnhart Principal Carrie Burke sent a letter to parents saying the student was injured while playing with another student. Burke said the other student sought help, and administrators went to the injured boy's aid while staff dialed 911.
"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. This student left the bathroom to seek help from staff and reported the incident to administrators. Administrators responded and were able to assist, but staff called 911 for additional precautionary medical support. Due to privacy reasons, I am not able to share any additional details with you," the letter said.
The second grader was hospitalized with serious injuries and is now recovering at home.
The principal’s letter also sought to dispel concerns that there was a possible suicide attempt.
"I understand that the initial 911 report resulted in a first responder call that shared a possible suicide attempt occurred at our school. This was then posted on social media by a community member, causing a bit of community concern. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) quickly shared an update with you as well as the Barnhart staff to dispel any inaccurate information beginning to circulate," the letter said.
In an update Monday, CCPS said the investigation has found no evidence the incident was race related nor of intent to hurt.
The students involved were not in school Monday. The school district said it was working with their families to provide "academic and continuous social-emotional support and resources."
In viral Instagram post, injured boy's mother questions what happened
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 boy's father said.
Still, the boy's mother says she finds the horseplay explanation difficult to fathom.
“What type of horseplay leaves a child up on a hook?” she 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.
The boy's parents say they want the focus to be on finding out what happened and keeping it from happening again. To that end, a planned protest outside the school system headquarters was called off. However, Charles County parents who did show up said they understand that, but it doesn't lessen their concern.
"I've had two children in Charles County schools, and overall I support them, but when it comes to something in terms of an incident like this, I would have expected there to be some type of different level of communication," parent Dayna Jones said.
"When things take place like this, why is it covered up?" Charles County resident Patrice Allen asked.
A written statement from the Charles County Public Schools superintendent says there is no coverup. "Rather, we are sharing what information we can while we conduct a full investigation," the statement from Superintendent Maria Navarro says in part.
News4 is working to learn more about what happened and will share updates on the law enforcement investigation.
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