Deaf News: Spotlight on bullying after deaf US schoolboy finds backpack dumped in toilet

Posted on September 6, 2016 by



The spotlight has been shone on the bullying of deaf pupils after a US schoolboy spoke out when his backpack was taken by two other pupils (who he didn’t know) and dumped in a toilet. The image of the backpack dumped then when viral.

More positively, the boy has spoken out publicly against what happened to him.

ABC Action News reported:

Staff at Nebraska’s Burke High School are investigating a reported case of bullying against a student who is deaf.

Someone took Alexis Hernandez’s backpack during the lunch period on Wednesday and dumped his tablet, school supplies, homework and debit card into a toilet. The backpack also contained Hernandez’s cochlear implant — without which he can’t hear.

Hernandez immediately told administrators his backpack was missing. They helped him look for it but were unsuccessful. School security officials reviewed surveillance video and saw two unidentifiable male students walk off with his bag.

Hernandez apparently didn’t know either of the students.

“Those students think it’s OK to bully a deaf student, but it’s not. It’s not OK to bully someone who is disabled, deaf or hard of hearing,” Hernandez said. “Or anyone for that matter.”

Hernandez, who has been deaf since he was 1 year old, said he’s been bullied and joked about for years because of his disability, but added this whole incident has left him feeling unsafe to go back to school.

“This just got out of hand. There’s too much bullying, too much drama, too much fighting, it’s just not nice,” Hernandez said.

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/burke-high-school-investigating-bullying-incident-after-it-goes-viral


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Posted in: deaf news