A Brooklyn high school failed to respond properly when classmates of a ninth grade transgender student bullied her on social media, culminating in an assault on the woman that was caught on video, according to a review.
Ronette Hinkson filed a lawsuit with the state Division of Human Rights on March 11 against the city and WH Maxwell Vocational and Technical High School after her 15-year-old transgender daughter was overwhelmed by the cousin of a classmate on January 18. as she left college, according to the review.
In a video obtained by The Post, students can be heard cheering because the student – who is referred to as MB in the review – is thrown to the bottom and repeatedly punched and slapped by a teenager. Another person steps in and appears to struggle against MB before the officers break up the fight.
Prior to the November 9 attack, students using false names allegedly hurled insults at MB in a group Snapchat message, according to the critic. And once again, on November 19, students sent vicious messages to MB, including “Dumb t—-y bitch”, “Ur a waste of sperm” and “T—y ass bitch”, according to the review.
In the same chat, a cousin of MB’s classmate threatened MB “You don’t rush my cousin, I will come to this school, please don’t play with me,” the review claims. And the cousin – called ‘King’ – would be one of the youngsters to attack MB months later.
MB informed a coach and a school principal lawyer of the November bullying on Snapchat, but staff members never informed MB’s mother or the police, choosing instead the student who started the Snapchat messages apologize to MB, the courtroom documents state.
“I’m almost in tears now thinking of my child going through a transition after being born as a man. [and] now having a life like this where people don’t understand and want to hurt my child for no reason,” Hinkson, 46, told the Post.
“I’m a very involved parent, so knowing that I couldn’t protect my child in a situation like this…it hurts,” Hinkson said.
The mum said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to watch the video and realize it had been posted on Instagram before being cruelly texted MB ‘I was at a loss for words, especially since I ‘It was posted on social media,” Hinkson said.
“My child could have been killed and they act as if nothing had happened,
it wasn’t a serious thing – it’s traumatic,” Hinkson said, as she began to cry.Hinkson said she didn’t learn of the November bullying until January and didn’t learn of the assault on MB until a few days later, prompting her to report every incident to the police and to remove MB from the university immediately.
“My child was being bullied and reported it to the school guidance counselor,” Hinkson said. “The hope is that the adviser would have done the right thing and brought everyone together and solved the problem.”
Hinkson says the bullying made MB more suspicious of individuals and made her “more lonely”.
MB now attends another public high school closer to their home in Queens, the mother said.
“She was an outgoing person now, she doesn’t really trust people anymore,” Hinkson said, noting that MB’s mistrust extends to adults because the speakers didn’t protect her.
“Not a single person at WH Maxwell High ever let Ronette know that her underage child was being harassed and physically threatened at school,” the review said. “This willful negligence resulted in the January 18, 2022 assault.”
“The DOE has tacitly condoned discrimination and retaliation,” from opposing classmates “by remaining willfully indifferent through its failure and unwillingness to enforce its own rules…requiring mandatory reporting of discrimination, retaliation and threats of physical violence against students,” the reviewer said. .
“My client has a divine right to attend a public school in New York City free from discrimination or bullying because of his gender identity, and the Department of Education must do better,” said David H. Rosenberg, attorney for Hinkson and Mo
“Bullying and harassment have absolutely no place in our school communities. We take these allegations and the safety of our students very seriously and will investigate the complaint. Our schools must be sanctuaries for our young people as they grow academically and socially,” said Ministry of Education spokeswoman Sarah Casasnovas.
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