When it comes to bullying, it takes very little for children to tease each other. For one five-year-old, a horrific accident became fodder for the bullies on his bus.
In 2008, Ryan Coomber was severely injured when he was run over by a riding lawnmower. Ryan's left leg was amputated below the knee, as well as four toes from his right foot, his thigh bone was broken and his pelvis was shattered. After a year of rehabilitation, he was able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. While most would see this as an inspiring story, some older students on Ryan's Prairie South School Division school bus (in Saskatchewan, Canada) decided to use this to torment him, which included attempting to pull off his artificial limb.
Ryan's parents approached local law enforcement after Ryan was given a black eye during a recent bus ride. After deciding not to press charges and finding that the bully's parents were unwilling to help, Coomber approached the school district, which has decided to remove Ryan from the bus. This reverse punishment led Coomber to contact Saskatchewan Education Minister Ken Krawetz, who said that an investigation is currently underway.
Bullying is something that will never go away. For whatever reason (and there are many), some children will always attempt to exploit other's weaknesses. In a move in that many in the industry are applauding, Kevin Jennings, the assistant deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free School program, will be addressing the issue in a webinar on May 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Jennings knows about bullying, as he was teased for being gay while growing up in Florida and North Carolina.