Mum heartbroken after son injured in violent Endeavour Hills attack
A mum is devastated after her 11-year-old son was left bruised and battered when he was punched by a fellow student from his Endeavour Hills school.
South East
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A concerned mum is heartbroken after her young son was left bruised and battered when he was punched by a fellow student from his school in Melbourne’s south east.
Laura Lawson said her 11-year-old son Bailey was outside McDonalds in Endeavour Hills when he was approached by an older boy and slapped in the cheek around 3.30pm on March 8.
She said her son attempted to defend himself but was pushed to the ground, kicked and punched three times in the head.
The disturbing attack was filmed and then posted to social media platforms including Instagram.
“As soon as I saw that video my stomach dropped,” Ms Lawson told Leader.
“I felt completely helpless as I was an hour drive away at work and I couldn’t protect him.
“I felt physically sick that this happened to him as he is such a nice, funny kid.”
It’s believed the offender was a student at Bailey’s school Gleneagles Secondary College.
Ms Lawson said her son sustained a bruised elbow and forehead and had cuts to his knees and legs.
“If he was hit or kicked in the wrong spot he could have been seriously injured or dead,” she said.
“It’s terrifying that could happen to a child.”
This comes as concerned parents created a private Facebook group on Tuesday to raise awareness of violent behaviour at Gleneagles Secondary College after a parent and a former teacher claimed bullying was rife.
Ms Lawson said she contacted the school and police as she considered pressing charges.
She said severe punishments need to be enforced to change the violent offending.
“I think there needs to be no leniency with this type of behaviour,” she said.
“I also think if you’re caught filming these things then you should be punished as you are just as bad.”
Ms Lawson said her son had also been targeted on school grounds after he was shoved into lockers on his third day of year 7 this year and called a “fat c---”.
“As far as we know nothing was done in the form of punishment to the kid in question there,” she said.
A former teacher, who asked not to be named, told Leader teachers and vulnerable students were targeted by bullies at the school.
She said fights broke out between different groups in the schoolyard and homophobia was a common issue, with some students intentionally excluded and ridiculed.
Six videos were also posted to a private Instagram account last month where students were seen fighting each other in school uniform.
One video showed two females hitting and kicking one another as a male student broke up the brawl.
The other video showed two males punching one another as one teen fell to the ground.
A Department of Education spokesman said any form of violence or bullying was “completely unacceptable”, and the health, safety and wellbeing of students was “always a top priority”.
“Gleneagles Secondary College takes strong action, including disciplinary action where appropriate, in response to any incidents of fighting or bullying,” he said.
“Social media platforms have an important role to play and should stop enabling the publication of content that risks the promotion of violence among young people.
“The department continues to raise this issue with a range of social media providers.”
