South Bay parents are up in arms over an elementary school student allegedly bullying classmates into exposing themselves to him.
At least five parents with students at Noble Elementary in San Jose claim the child is bullying classmates. The parents are angry at the way school and the district has handled the alleged incidents.
One of the parents, Michelle Rojas, said her child was one of the victims.
"Intimidated and bullied on the playground during PE class into showing the aggressor their private parts," Rojas said.
The parents claim the bullying happened to five different students at a Noble Elementary playground over the last month.
"How did this happen during school?" Rojas said. "Where was the supervision?"
Another mother who did not want to be identified said the bully threatened her child with physical abuse if she did not comply.
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Parents are also upset because they said the aggressor is still in their children's classroom every day.
"I would like that child removed from my daughter's class," Rojas said.
Rojas said her child is traumatized and afraid to go to school knowing the alleged bully will be in the same classroom.
The Berryessa Union School District confirms an incident occurred and investigated that incident. District officials said for privacy reasons it cannot comment on how it disciplined the child.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Joseph M. McCreary released the following statement:
"An incident involving a primary grade student occurred on the Noble Elementary School campus earlier this month. As is our standard practice, the administration contacted the parents of students involved to apprise them of the situation, and assured them the matter would be properly examined and all appropriate action taken. The site administrator investigated this incident, determined what had occurred, and took appropriate action based on the facts of the matter. When incidents unfold on a campus parents are understandably concerned and they have questions; we strive to be forthright and honest in our communication while balancing our legal obligation to protect the privacy of minor students, which limits the details that we can offer. Sometimes parents might want the district to offer more details or take disciplinary action beyond policy and practice, and in these situations we try to meet with parents to build understanding and to help build their trust in our commitment to student safety. We assure you that, if we believed that students’ safety was at risk, we would take whatever additional actions that were necessary to ensure the safety of all of our students."
San Jose police on Wednesday said they were not notified of the situation. Two police officers were sent to the school to investigate after NBC Bay Area contacted the department. Officers will also check on the alleged bully's home situation to make sure there are no signs of abuse or neglect there that would make him act this way.
