OP, might be stating the obvious here, but you want to keep a detailed log of your dealings with the principal on this issue to support your complaints. Note time, dates, means of communication, what was discussed, action taken or not taken. Attach to complaints as exhibit A. You have to document every little thing, or you risk being laughed out of court up the chain as a neurotic, overprotective mother.

Anonymous wrote:If you're not getting an appropriate response from the principal, call his/her instructional superintendent. Also call the police -- there's a special unit for dealing with school. The purpose of that isn't to get the kid in trouble, but to highlight to the school how serious you are.

There is a procedure to transfer your child to another school as a safety transfer, although you don't always get a lot of choice about where you transfer to.

Have you put everything -- your complaints and the principal's response -- in writing?

Disgusting, very sorry for your family. Agree with PP above. File a detailed complaint, in writing, with the DCMP and your principal's instructional superintendent right away. Ask the instructional supervisor to involve a DCPS social worker the kid can talk to. Raise every issue you've raised here in writing, making it sound like that you're the type of articulate and sane parent prepared to go to the media. Use your complaints to pursue a safety transfer ASAP. Do not formally withdraw your boy from the school but remove him and write the principal and instructional supervisor daily emails stating that the kid is out again that day pending an immediate safety transfer. Your case will be much stronger if you've removed the kid from the unsafe environment than if you keep sending him to school. You must document absences to fend off the aggressive DCPS attendance police, possibly to ward off a criminal child neglect charge once he's missed 10 days "unexcused."

You'd be surprised how much choice a parent can get on an emergency transfer if DCPS leaders decide they don't want media attention to potentially damaging issues. We have a friend whose kid was magically offered a spot at School Within a School at Goding (with their mile long waiting list!) after having been seriously mistreated by a DCPS principal and students at an ES. They offered her a couple of failing DCPS schools first, and when she said, no thanks, I'd rather continue to keep him home, they came back with SWS.

If DCPS doesn't play ball (unlikely), go to your DC Council Member's office and ask them to pressure DCPS. They'll do it in a case like this. Also consider contacting the WaPo, the Wa Times etc. Seriously - DCPS will help you if the media's interested. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I raised two boys and kids at that age tell wild stories and also get in a lot of scuffles and form their own little gangs all of which can get out of hand, particularly if you have a teacher who isn't paying a lot of attention but you should be able to tell pretty quickly how engaged the teacher is just by testing them to see how well they know your own child.

Having said that this story still sounds like it is being blown up by someone along the way here into something that could be bigger than it is - kids at that age don't usually really bully each other and in any case boys watching each other pee and joking about it is hardly unusual and certainly isn't sexual assault which is the piece of OP's story that makes me wonder if her own anxiety isn't amplifying what is really going on here.

I was bullied in K. I would not say joking about anther's anatomy at that age is "hardly unusual" (it sounds unusual to me!) but I agree it's not sexual assault. Nor is getting peed on. The op does d\soudn a bity hysterical, but she is clearly at the end of her rope. i know from my own child how very frustrating it can be when they suffer and no adults in position to act take it seriously.

Maybe I'm overreacting about the sexual harassment, but I'm not sure what the appropriate term would be then. My son was in a closed bathroom stall and this boy crawled under the stall to watch him pee. He told him to leave and he didn't. He made a lewd comment about his private area, not a joke. Then after leaving he peed on my youngest who was washing his hands. And I'm incredibly upset, and obviously can't sleep.

Anonymous wrote:Is this happening in aftercare??

The incident in the bathroom was with 4 unsupervised kids who should have been in aftercare or had someone watching them.

Move them, OP!

Anonymous wrote:I raised two boys and kids at that age tell wild stories and also get in a lot of scuffles and form their own little gangs all of which can get out of hand, particularly if you have a teacher who isn't paying a lot of attention but you should be able to tell pretty quickly how engaged the teacher is just by testing them to see how well they know your own child.

Having said that this story still sounds like it is being blown up by someone along the way here into something that could be bigger than it is - kids at that age don't usually really bully each other and in any case boys watching each other pee and joking about it is hardly unusual and certainly isn't sexual assault which is the piece of OP's story that makes me wonder if her own anxiety isn't amplifying what is really going on here.

I was bullied in K. I would not say joking about anther's anatomy at that age is "hardly unusual" (it sounds unusual to me!) but I agree it's not sexual assault. Nor is getting peed on. The op does d\soudn a bity hysterical, but she is clearly at the end of her rope. i know from my own child how very frustrating it can be when they suffer and no adults in position to act take it seriously.

Is this happening in aftercare??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, that's horrible. Please name the school.

Email and call the ombudsman's office. Also call the Chancellor. Elevate this!

Agree x 100 -- and call 911 to report.

If you're engaged enough to post here, you have to be strong enough to step out.

We plan on making calls tomorrow and keeping him home. If I call 911- report an assault? He does have a scratched up should and a bruised back. He is School shirt is filthy from dirt. He said there were 6 boys that basically jumped on the playground today.

So sorry for you and your kid. First I will call the police and report the assault. Second, I could consider contacting the media. I don't understand why you aren't naming the school. Silence is NOT going to protect your kid. You have already notified the school and nothing has changed according to your post.

I raised two boys and kids at that age tell wild stories and also get in a lot of scuffles and form their own little gangs all of which can get out of hand, particularly if you have a teacher who isn't paying a lot of attention but you should be able to tell pretty quickly how engaged the teacher is just by testing them to see how well they know your own child.

Having said that this story still sounds like it is being blown up by someone along the way here into something that could be bigger than it is - kids at that age don't usually really bully each other and in any case boys watching each other pee and joking about it is hardly unusual and certainly isn't sexual assault which is the piece of OP's story that makes me wonder if her own anxiety isn't amplifying what is really going on here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this a racial thing

Please explain op

Wtf??! What difference does it make? Are you talking about race of kids? Principal? If it's white on white does that make it different then black on white, black on white, or black on black??? It's ludicrous that it's happening regardless of race of parties. Please explain PP. you are what I despise about DCUM.

This has nothing to do with race. Put it to bed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, that's horrible. Please name the school.

Email and call the ombudsman's office. Also call the Chancellor. Elevate this!

Agree x 100 -- and call 911 to report.

If you're engaged enough to post here, you have to be strong enough to step out.

We plan on making calls tomorrow and keeping him home. If I call 911- report an assault? He does have a scratched up should and a bruised back. He is School shirt is filthy from dirt. He said there were 6 boys that basically jumped on the playground today.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is even gently asking whether a 5-year-old's reports may not be fully accurate?

OP- I have pictures of him from today. The entire back right sleeve of his shirt is covered in brown dirt and his shoulddr is scrapped up and low back red/bruised. The day the incident in the bathroom happened I was standing right outside because it was after school. I saw 4 boys run out of the bathroom and then my 4 year old come out screaming cover saying someone peed on him. Sure enough- covered in pee from the knee down. My little one still says sometimes, "No one peed on me in the bathroom" when we have to use it while we are there. Then when my older son tells me the same kid watched him pee, etc. I believed him. Would you question your own? The very next day my 5 year old who was sleeping in underwear at 2.5 had an accident at school because he was too scared to use the hall bathroom with the older kids. He must be a liar to pee his pants! Please. Oh, and the time he was choked out in the library by the 3rd grader. His friend was there and saw it, but you know they got together and made that one up! And if the teacher didn't see it; it didn't happen! I could go on...but I don't need to prove myself on the Internet. Just looking for advice and I appreciate all the nice comments so far.

Anonymous wrote:Nobody is even gently asking whether a 5-year-old's reports may not be fully accurate?

Good point. But still, what do you do even if there's chance they aren't true? Send him to school with chance of it continuing? Put on body cams? I did think it but you still have to assume it's right.

Nobody is even gently asking whether a 5-year-old's reports may not be fully accurate?

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