When Did Bullying Kids with Disabilities Become Acceptable?
An elementary student residing in Minneapolis was diagnosed with medication-resistant epilepsy caused by a brain tumor. Within days of returning home from the hospital, the neighborhood kids began to play pranks on the sick child. They excluded him while playing in his yard or next door, where he could hear and see them. They teased him, dismissed his diagnosis, and ghosted him. Shockingly, their parents joined in on the bullying and social isolation. Most absurd, at least three parents work in schools, two are teachers, and one works with elementary kids with special needs.
The Family:
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The elementary student was hospitalized after developing seizures. Further tests revealed medication-resistant epilepsy and a brain tumor.
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Mother of Nate and works in the field of anti-violence, crisis response, and trauma.
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Father of Nate and works with children living with disabilities.
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Older sibling to Nate.
The Neighbors:
Household One
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Mother of neighbor children Wayne and Charlie, is a restaurant server, realtor, and social butterfly. She does not seem to have strong beliefs or values about right or wrong. She drinks heavily and is married to Dwight, the neighborhood drunk who is publicly abusive and controlling towards Kristen.
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He lives next door to Nate, is younger than Nate, goes to the same school, and shares a bus stop. He is flush in gifts, toys, games, etc. - significantly more than other kids in the neighborhood. Wayne uses his abundance of toys to leverage power and control over neighbor kids. He screams and cries the moment he doesn’t get his way.
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Father to Wayne and Charlie. Bartender. Neighborhood drunk and publicly abusive to his wife, Kristen. He verbally accosted Lucy in her yard and chased two young black men in his pickup truck through their neighborhood.
Household Two
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Lives next door to Kristen and two houses down from Nate. Emily is a licensed psychologist. Married to Kathy.
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Married to Emily. A licensed counselor who works in an elementary school with special education students.
Household Three
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He lives next door to Kathy and Emily, three houses down from Nate. He is the father of Fred, married to Susan, and a long-time teacher. He should know the importance of community, the detrimental effects of bullying and social isolation, and the harm of ghosting a child with a disability and serious medical condition.
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She is the mother of Fred, married to Jeff, and a long-time teacher. She should know the importance of community, the detrimental effects of bullying and social isolation, and the harm of ghosting a child with a disability and serious medical condition.
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A neighborhood kid and classmate of Nate. Shortly after his diagnosis, Nate, Fred, and Fletcher went to an indoor play facility and out to dinner, where everyone had a splendid time. They discussed how to best respond to the unkind behavior of other kids and the importance of bystander intervention. Then he ghosted Nate. His parents are Jeff and Susan, who are both teachers.
Household Four
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Neighborhood kid. He is an older middle school kid who often leads the other kids in unkind acts and comments. Kelly is his mother. When we moved into the neighborhood, some neighbors warned us about him.
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Mother to Kevin. She defended Kevin’s pranks and name-calling. She said she must let him be his own person and could not control him.
Household Five
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A neighborhood kid and classmate of Nate. Shortly after his diagnosis, Nate, Fred, and Fletcher went to an indoor play facility and dinner, where everyone had a splendid time. They discussed how to best respond to the mean behavior of other kids and the importance of bystander intervention. Then he ghosted Nate.
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Father to Fletcher. Separated from Kevin’s mom, Betty. Initially, he was supportive and acknowledged the presence of neighborhood bullies and the lack of accountability from their parents. He dislikes pretending and having fake interactions with neighbors. However, his child, Fletcher, also ghosted the kid with a brain tumor.
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She is the mother of Fletcher. After the kids pranked him, she sent Nate a pity birthday party invite. She works in the medical field.
Household Six
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Middle school kid in the neighborhood who often joins in on bullying, even though they barely know Nate. The kid's father is Kyle.
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Father to Hank. City worker. Friend to Dwight, the neighborhood drunk.
The rest of the story is coming soon…
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