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Mother says son
beaten on field trip
By Suzanne
Smalley, Globe Staff | June 10, 2006
The mother of a
12-year-old boy who alleges he was beaten by Boston Public Schools
staffers while on a field trip to Rhode Island last weekend said
that her son came home covered in bruises serious enough to warrant
a hospital visit.
``He said leaders
put them in a circle and punched each in the chest for things he's
done around the year," the boy's mother said in an interview
Thursday.
The woman, who
spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her son's privacy, said
the boy alleges other children were also struck during the trip.
Jonathan Palumbo,
a spokesman for Boston Public Schools , confirmed Tuesday that one
student's family reported to school officials that children on the
trip were punched, kicked, and pushed.
Palumbo declined
to comment on whether other students also had alleged abuse .
School officials
yesterday again refused to comment, saying that the investigation is
still active. While all students on the trip have been interviewed,
none of the staff members have been because of their lawyers' and
union representatives' schedules.
Anand Vaishnav, a
spokesman for Boston Public Schools, said yesterday that the Outward
Bound-style program under which the alleged abuse occurred has been
suspended until the investigation is complete. The program, known as
Rites of Passage, emphasizes personal growth and self-awareness and
is an after-school activity offered in at least two Boston
public schools, The Harbor School in Dorchester and
Irving Middle School in Roslindale.
The boy's mother
said her son, who she said was bruised across the chest and on the
arms, was struck when he left to return to camp. She said her son is
receiving counseling.
``I don't know if
it's tough love," the mother said. ``He's confused and hurt . . .
and couldn't understand why he was being treated like that."
© Copyright 2006
The New York Times Company
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