Students walking the hallways at Steuart W. Weller Elementary School in Ashburn, Va., on Feb. 21, 2014. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)
A 6-year-old boy is transferring schools after suffering three concussions in 35 days due to bullying.
Cara Murnan, of Fairfax County, Virginia, said the trouble started in October, when son Mason came home with a black eye that the school said was from running into a fence during recess. But when Murnan questioned her son, she learned that he was shoved into a metal pole by a bully, according to Fox 5.
The altercation caused Mason, who has epilepsy and autism, to have a seizure.
“Mason is SIX years old, living with a Traumatic Brain Injury—as a result of BULLYING,” Murnan wrote in an Instagram post. “It went from waving & blowing our usual goodbye kisses, as we do every morning—trusting he’ll be happy, healthy, and safe—to ending up in an O.R. waiting room, praying he doesn’t have a fatal brain bleed.”
The post includes photos of Mason undergoing hospital treatment and a picture of the injury.
After treatment for the first injury, Mason’s parents gave the school principal a note from the doctor saying Mason has a concussion and is not to take part in recess or physical education class.
The next day the school let Mason go out for recess, where the same student pushed him, and Mason hit his head again, this time on the ground, resulting in another concussion.
Some days later he received a third concussion. The boy is now in medical care getting treated for a number of health issues.
“How do you watch your child go through that? We had several trips to the ER, and the trauma center, and seizures. He had uncontrollable seizures the whole way there,” Murnan said, describing her son’s ordeal, via Fox 5.
Murnan talked about what she feels the school failed to do for her child.
“They need to be a thousand times more transparent. They need to actually address bullying. From the moment they step on that school bus, to the moment they are off the school bus, they’re in their custody.”
Fairfax County Public Schools is allowing Mason to transfer schools, after being contacted by Fox 5, and issued a statement:
“Bullying and harassment are not tolerated at any FCPS school. As with any allegation of this nature, a thorough investigation is conducted and appropriate consequences assigned, if necessary.”
According to a CDC pamphlet on school children and concussions, a concussions is a traumatic brain injury with impact that causes the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull. The result is a stretching and damaging of brain cells, along with chemical changes.
Some people never meet their HERO — I gave birth to mine.????#autismmom #autismstrong #extraordinary #autismawarenessmonth
Murnan is or has been involved with autism and epilepsy related organizations, according to her social media channels.
“Some of the most important life lessons I’ve ever learned, I learned from my son,” Murnan wrote in a Facebook post. “Every day he teaches me the importance of living in the present moment. To slow down and be mindful. Truly mindful; fully immersed in the present moment. And always finding joy in the here & now.”
Murnan’s other social media posts about her son include those related to autism awareness.
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