One mother is frustrated over her son's suspension from school. She says another student told him to say a particular number while they were on a field trip, and it touched off trouble she never could have imagined.
The school called Tonya Johnston and told her he was going to be disciplined for bullying. She asked her son what happened.
"My son was told by another student, 'Say 21.' So my son said, '21. Why?' said Johnston.
When she went to the Pierce Middle School in Waterford for a meeting about his punishment she was told he was being given a ten day suspension.
"I am dumbfounded at the 10-day suspension that my son received for saying 21," said Tonya.
So what was this all about?
The school told her there was a special needs student who lost control when he heard the number 21. In one case EMS had to be called.
Though he wasn't on the tour bus the boy now suspended was on, he apparently was just outside and within earshot.
Tonya had never heard of this. She asked school leaders why parents weren't notified.
"They notified us when they had a student with a peanut allergy," said Tonya.
She was then told this wasn't an isolated incident. School workers told her her son had been told not to say 21. She again asked why she wasn't notified before it got to the point where he was suspended and out of school for two weeks.
In a recording of the meeting, school leaders tell her they don't have to tell parents every time there is a problem.
She left the meeting feeling that teaching her son was not the priority. She reached out to 7 Action News on social media.
She said she feared her son would be irreparably harmed by missing two weeks of school for saying the number 21. He had told her there was no way he would be able to keep up with his classes. He sent her a text saying, he might as well drop out of school.
When the mom of the other boy learned she had reached out to 7 Action News she called the station.
She said it sounded like the mom believed her son had a random issue with a number. That wasn't the case.
Her son had autism, and experienced an embarrassing situation while working on a math problem. The correct answer to the problem was "21."
Kids made fun of him by saying the number. The stress of the bullying he has experienced leads to severe and dangerous panic attacks. In one case he passed out from the stress.
She says she has complained repeatedly to school leaders since last year that children, including the boy now suspended taunts her son by saying 21.
7 Action News reached out to Tonya Johnston to tell her this. She was shocked. Tonya says if that is the case instead of kicking her 13-year-old out of school for 2 weeks, the school should have talked to her long ago and worked with her to change his behavior.
"I would have absolutely talked to my son about it. I would have explained the severity of it and what this child is going through," said Johnston.
The victim's mom agrees that if school leaders had involved the other boy's mom sooner, perhaps it would have prevented the taunting her son has been suffering through.
7 Action News reached out to the school district. The superintendent says, because of student privacy laws, he can’t say much. He says he was told by other administrators who handled the situation they offered to reduce the suspension if Tonya’s son went to counseling.
Tonya says she recorded the discipline meeting. While counseling was suggested, a reduced punishment wasn’t offered.
7Action News asked the superintendent if it could be an option now. He said yes.
"School is for learning - and not just subjects like English and math. School is also about learning to work with people. If a student is having trouble with others, we truly would like to help with counseling. We often reduce the suspension if counseling is accepted," said Keith Wunderlich, Superintendent of Schools. "We also believe students should be in school. In progressive discipline, we sometimes get to the point where students are removed. And, if the behavior continues, the suspension grows."
Tonya says she will attempt to take advantage of the offer of a reduced suspension if her son goes to counseling.
