An 11-year-old boy was suspended after reporting a student with a bullet at a Virginia Beach school

BulletPhoto byJay RembertonUnsplash

According to WRIC 8 News, an 11-year-old boy was suspended after alerting his principal about seeing another boy with a bullet at school.

Both boys at St. John Apostle School in Virginia Beach received the same two-day suspension:

• the boy who took the bullet to school
• the boy who reported the incident

There is no dispute that the boy who took the bullet to school should have been suspended. However, the mother of the boy who reported seeing the bullet thinks the school should have given her son “an ounce of grace.”

The boy's explanation

The boy who saw the bullet was about to begin mandatory testing, so he did not report the incident right away. He waited until two hours later when the testing was over. His mother said her son wanted to report it anonymously because he feared retaliation. Therefore, he had to wait until the testing was over.

Decisions from officials

According to the news, the principal said:

"Thank you for reporting that, but you are suspended because it wasn’t quick enough."

The school’s attorney, who serves as general counsel for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, wrote that “the school will not reduce the discipline because the child should have “brought safety issues to staff immediately.”

A statement from Superintendent of Catholic Schools Dr. Michael Riley said he wouldn’t comment about student or family matters but expects students “to bring safety issues to the attention of school staff immediately.”