Dad: Bully slash my twin sons

Hurt at school: Ishmael George, left, and and his twin brother Ishmaaeel, at their home in Siparia yesterday, nursing head injuries their father believes a bully inflicted on the five-year-olds at Siparia Boys’ RC School on Monday. Photo by Ansel Jebodh
Hurt at school: Ishmael George, left, and and his twin brother Ishmaaeel, at their home in Siparia yesterday, nursing head injuries their father believes a bully inflicted on the five-year-olds at Siparia Boys’ RC School on Monday. Photo by Ansel Jebodh

A Siparia father is calling for an investigation into how his five-year-old twin sons suffered injuries at school on Monday which required them to have a total of 12 stitches to their heads.

Kelvin George, 32, believes his sons Ishmael and Ishmaaeel, First Year students of Siparia Boys RC School, were victims of bullying. The bully, he believes, is a Standard Two student who allegedly broke a glass bottle and slashed the heads of the twins. George yesterday claimed the school staff told him the children were playing and they hit their heads on a railing and sustained the injuries.

However, two days later, the children revealed what happened to their father when they saw a Vitamalt glass bottle and told him it said resembled the one they were struck with. George also said a doctor believed the boys were cut by a sharp object. “The staff members are claiming the children were playing and hit their heads together. But, based on what the doctor said the injuries were as a result of a sharp object. While walking on a street Ishmael said, ‘Daddy look at the bottle the boy break and slice meh head with. He run down Ishmaaeel too and sliced him with it’ (sic).”

A composite of photos taken by Kelvin George showing the cuts to his twin sons heads on Monday at school.

George, who is on public assistance due to a back injury, lives at Alexander Street with the twins and older sibling seven-year-old Yaaseen.

George said he only became aware of the bullying, after his sons confided in him.

“The children said that same boy does be slapping them up in their faces. So, this child is accustomed hitting them and threatening that if they tell the teacher or anybody, he will buss up their faces. This child injected fear into Ishmael and Ishmaaeel so much that they even afraid to tell me what going on.”

George, a former boxer, recalled that shortly before 3 pm on Monday he went to the school to pick up his sons. To his horror, he saw a female teacher holding Ishmael whose uniform was covered in blood and blood was spurting from his head.

George said he began a frantic search for his other son and moments later saw students accompanying Ishmaaeel. He also had injuries to his head.

They injured boys were taken to the Siparia District Health Facility.

Head injuries: Kelvin George at his home in Siparia yesterday with and his twin sons Ishmaaeel, left, and Ishmael who are recovering from head injuries. George believes they were slashed with a broken bottle by a bully at Siparia RC School. Photo by Ansel Jebodh

“I asked what happened to them and the first thing she (teacher) said was she did not know. Blood was all over their faces and uniforms and the teacher was panicking. At the health centre, the boys were rushed to emergency department one time to see a doctor. Ishmael got eight stitches and Ishmaaeel about four.” Initially believing the injuries resulted from an accident, the father said his suspicions arose when the doctor said a sharp object was used. He returned to the school to inform the principal. George said she is maintaining that what happened was an accident and the slashing incident never occurred.

“Obviously, they are covering up something or protecting somebody’s interest. Either Wednesday or Thursday we went to school to identify the student, but he was not there. Two men claiming to be police in plainclothes began painting my children as liars. One was telling me my child could be lying that they were slashed with a bottle.” Such a violent act could have ended in their deaths, George said.

He wants an investigation into what happened to his sons, and also one into why the alleged bully is so violent. He said his sons and the boy who he believes harmed them need counselling.

“At the end of the day, I don’t want the boy face any criminal actions because he too is a child. He was very violent and if he had missed the children’s heads, I would have been at the school to identify the bodies. That child really needs some deep counselling. I never met him or the parents,”.

Since the incident, the children have not returned to classes.

A source at the Ministry of Education yesterday said the ministry is aware of the incident and is investigating a report from the school. Sunday Newsday learnt school officials interviewed George and his sons at the compound and there was no mention about bullying or sharp objects. An initial report stated the boys bumped into each other and injured themselves. As far as the ministry is aware “at this time”, their injuries were accidental.

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"Dad: Bully slash my twin sons"

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