Boy, 7, hospitalized after being ‘hung’ in school bathroom by bully, parents say

WALDORF, Md. (WUSA) - Two parents from Maryland are hoping for answers after they say their 7-year-old son was "hung" in his school bathroom by a fourth grade bully and ended up hospitalized.

The parents of a second grader at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School in Waldorf are angry and confused but thankful their son is alive. They did not want to be identified but say the 7-year-old was rushed to the hospital Friday after he was allegedly bullied in the boys' bathroom by a fourth grade student.

"If you look at my son he has marks under his eyes. He still has bruises on his neck from being choked," the boy's parents said. "He's traumatized. It's going to take time. This is not something he's going to just get over overnight."

Paperwork from the hospital lists one of the boy's injuries as neck contusion, which is caused by blunt trauma to the neck.

Charles County Public Schools says it's aware of the incident, releasing the following statement that reads in part:

"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."

Despite the statement, the 7-year-old's parents still have questions for the school.

"If doesn't make sense to me. If you're horseplaying, how do you get caught on a hook? We need answers. I want answers, and we won't stop until we get answers," the boy's mother said.

The parents say they're sharing their side of the story in hopes of preventing this from happening to anyone else.

"My son did tell me that when they were in the bathroom, he said the little boy told him, 'I'm going to show you how I did people back in the day.' That's why I feel like it's bullying 'cause it's no telling how many other kids this has happened to," the boy's mother said.

The parents also want the school district to step up with a new policy and hallway monitors.

"I want to know why is a fourth grader in the same bathroom as a second grader? Most schools have them divided. I feel this is very unacceptable," the boy's mother said.

"These are all our children, and they are the future. So, we just need to protect them. Like, we sending our kids to school every day thinking that they are safe," the boy's father said.

The parents say their son will not return to the school.