One Missouri mom is gaining praise online after she went on Facebook to defend her son. The tween was just suspended from school after he punched out his bully, who tormented him for years, and this mama isn't upset — she's proud. Her Facebook post has attracted lots of attention — notably for her stance that the school and the bully are both in the wrong, and that her son using physical violence to solve a problem was in the right.
After he suffered for years, the mom shared that her son finally stood up to his bully by punching him.
In her post that has been shared more than 145K times, Allison Davis explained the events that led to her son becoming suspended from school.
“Five days of OSS [out of school suspension] for beating up the kid that has been tormenting and bullying him since middle school," she wrote. "I know as a parent I’m supposed to be upset with him for resorting to violence or getting suspended, but I’m not. Not even a little bit.”
Davis went on to describe in chilling detail the years of abusive treatment her son endured from taunting to threats at the hands of his bully, some of which was caught on video, and the school refused to intervene.
Drew didn't just randomly get violent with this other student. His mom says the punch came after years of asking adults for help.
"For years the school has failed Drew. When this kid has constantly threatened to beat Drew up along with several of his friends, the school did nothing," she wrote. "When this kid followed Drew down the hall threatening him and making fun of him AND it was all captured on video, the school did nothing."
Other kids even went to teachers and administrators that the kid was threatening Drew, but his mom said that wasn't enough to get the school to stop it. "When this kid took to social media, voicemails, and texting threats, the school did nothing," she wrote. "When this kid threatened Drew over and over in every class they have together. The school did nothing."
The mom hoped things would change this school year, but instead, she says the school ignored her concerns again.
“I sent the school a lengthy email at the beginning of the year begging them to do something because Drew refused to talk to adults at school about it because he knew it would do him no good,” Davis wrote. “Drew had four classes with this kid and he would not leave Drew alone. Their solution and response was to have him and his bully sign a no contact contract.”
But despite this "solution," the boiling point came, and Drew took matters into his own hands.
This isn't from lack of Drew asking for help from adults. "In middle school Drew was afraid to walk down the halls because a swarm of this kid and his minions would make fun of and threaten Drew," she wrote. "He quit talking to the adults about it because they never disciplined the bully and it just made the situation worse."
When his bully started threatening Drew’s 11-year-old brother, that’s when he'd finally had enough.
“When this kid threatened Drew (while on the bus) and then moved on to making fun of his dad and then threatening Jackson, his 11-year-old brother, Drew decided that he would quit relying on the school and the adults who are supposed to protect him and HE would do something,” Davis wrote. “Three punches and his bully screamed like a baby, his minion friends shut up, and this morning the bully wouldn’t even look at him. Problem solved.”
This left Drew with a hefty suspension, but his mom isn't angry at him. Instead, she's mad at the school for letting things escalate. "Not once has the school ever punished the kid that has threatened and bullied Drew over and over," she wrote.
Despite pride not being a mom's typical reaction after finding out a son has been suspended, many on Facebook are applauding this mama and her boy.
Many online are beyond proud of Drew for standing up for himself when the adults wouldn't and are oozing with praise.
“I always say. Tell a teacher, tell the school, and then… handle it if you have too," one person commented on the post. "He did nothing wrong and hopefully, the school teaches bystanders to start standing up for the person being bullied.”
Another commenter also pointed out the sad statistics of bullying. “So glad he took care of himself. Too often we hear of the child who hurts himself and even kills themselves to get out of it. He did the right thing. Be proud.”
"Good job, Drew. I'm so sorry it had to come to that. One of the reasons I don't do children's social work anymore is because I was tired of seeing my kids and their parents do things the 'right' way to no end," another commenter posted.
Not everyone agrees that violence is the answer in any situation, but an overwhelming amount of people are siding with mom: In this case not only was justice served but this was a life lesson for Drew that will last him for life.
A GoFundMe account has even been set up for Drew to treat him after all he has been through, and it already has surpassed its original $300 goal.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice, nationwide, about 20% of students ages 12 to 18 experience bullying.
With more than 600 comments and growing, Davis has struck a chord with parents everywhere who are fed up with their kids being bullied and feeling that the schools involved do little or nothing to end the bullying.
If your child is being bullied, there are steps you can take to get help. Start by visiting stopbullying.gov for useful information and resources.
