Cruel school bullies mock disabled 11-year-old girl by calling her fat and hairy – while encouraging her to eat plastic beads that could kill her, mother says
- Michelle Truelock claims her daughter Cari was bullied for years
- She said she had contacted district officials but nothing had been done
Cruel bullies teased an 11-year-old disabled girl, calling her fat and hairy – and even telling her to eat plastic beads that could be fatal to her, the girl’s mother claims.
Michelle Truelock told KTXS that her daughter, Cari, endured such harassment for years with little to no help from the Snyder Independent School District in Texas.
She said she did everything she could as a single mother to stop the bullying, including calling the school district and scheduling meetings with school administrators. She claimed other parents who witnessed the bullying also called the school district, but nothing was done.
Meanwhile, Cari, who was born with chromosome deletion syndrome 2q37, which causes learning difficulties and affects her memory, continues to endure swear words.
“They called her Pussy Cari, Hairy Cari, and told her to rip up that fat Cheshire cat fat ball,” Truelock said.
Cari Truelock was bullied for years at Snyder Junior High School, her mother claims
“It happened around 4 p.m. because she was waiting for the bus,” said the heartbroken mother. “I picked her up at 5:30 p.m. and she couldn’t remember what the children had said to her from 4 to 5:30 p.m.”
But the most traumatic thing that happened to her daughter was when other junior high school students persuaded her to eat Orbeez, gel beads that grow in water, Truelock said.
“One of the teachers called me and said Cari had eaten Orbeez on the bus,” she said.
“When I brought her home, I asked her what she was doing. Why was she eating Orbeez? She said, ‘Because they said it tasted good.'”
However, if swallowed, the pearls can expand in the throat and intestines and cause blockages.
Michelle Truelock said she did everything she could as a single mother to stop the bullying, but claims the school district did nothing to stop it
The worst bullying Cari faced was when some of her classmates persuaded her to eat plastic beads.
“I’m angry,” Truelock said. “I’m terrified for my daughter. This isn’t fair. Her life is hard enough. She shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
She vowed to take her complaints to the Texas Department of Education and “use every avenue I can find to do something about it.”
Truelock even indicated that she would be prepared to take the district to court if necessary because the school system is “notorious” for bullying.
“I’m a single mother and I don’t have time for all this, but something has to be done,” she said.
The Snyder Independent School District says it is investigating the allegations
The Snyder Independent School District said it received an email about the bullying allegations at 9:54 a.m. on August 16 – and that they would appear in a news report.
“We want to assure our community that Snyder ISD takes all allegations of bullying extremely seriously and we actively and thoroughly investigate these allegations,” administration officials said.
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students,” they stressed.
“To facilitate a prompt response to allegations of bullying or other incidents where the safety of students or staff is at risk, we ask that parents and guardians contact their school counselor or principal immediately if they have concerns or information regarding this or other incidents.”
“In addition, Snyder ISD offers an anonymous reporting process to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to report troubling information or behavior.”
“Moving forward, Snyder ISD will investigate the specific concerns reported by the news outlet and review when and how the concerns were reported, how and whether procedures were followed, and what support measures needed to be implemented,” district officials continued.
“Our commitment is to ensure a safe and supportive environment for every student,” they concluded.
“We thank our community for their cooperation as we work hard to resolve this issue.”
