OAK CREEK, Wis. — Evrett Bass, Sr., an Oak Creek School District parent, has kept his son home from East Middle School for more than a month after he said his son was a victim of bullying.
Bass moved his 12-year-old son EJ into the district after he came to Wisconsin from Nebraska earlier this year. Bass said the problems started soon after.
A behavior detail report Bass provided TMJ4 from Oak Creek East Middle shows on March 3, EJ and another student got into a physical fight. Bass said his son has Autism, and classmates called him derogatory names while he was staring at a girl.
"The boy called him a pedophile," Bass alleged. "So my son stood up and said, 'I'm not a pedophile!' And they got into an exchange of words and pushing back and forth. And I guess my son kind of like slapped him or whatever."
For the slap, EJ was issued a detention. Two hours later, another behavior detail report showed EJ was forced into a bathroom by a classmate to fight.
Watch: Bullying concerns prompt Oak Creek parent to keep 12-year-old son home from middle school
"The other boy grabbed my son, and another student dragged my son into the bathroom, and they beat him up and slammed his head against a wooden table," Bass said.
Documents show the school called Bass to tell him about the bathroom fight, and to let him know EJ would not face any consequences, as he was forced into the bathroom.
Bass said his son was given a Band-Aid for a scratch on his head and sent back to class.
The next morning, Bass said he noticed something was wrong.
"I'm trying to get him ready for school, and he's like 'who are you?', 'Where am I at?' I'm like, 'Evrett, it's me, it's dad.'" Bass said he then took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.
The report from the school indicated no medical service was provided after the injury.
"So right now, the situation, no, I don't feel safe sending him there," Bass said.
Bass sent TMJ4 a letter from the district that detailed a safety plan for EJ's return to school. It included adjusting EJ's schedule to reduce the risk of "unintended contact."
The district added that it "cannot guarantee EJ and the other student will never cross paths during the day."
Since the middle of March, Bass has kept his son home from school. He said he's been completing his school work online, but now he's receiving truancy notices from the district.
"This needs to change," Bass said. "Something needs to change about this."
The district declined TMJ4's request for an interview, saying in an email, "Our top priority will always be the safety of our students."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
