Family outraged after school refuses to share footage showing how boy with Down syndrome was injured on bus
A young boy with Down syndrome suffered painful injuries while under school guardianship, and his family is furious after administrators refused to share footage that would show them how it happened.
On June 5, Michael Perrin, a 7-year-old student at Resica Elementary School, East Stroudsburg, Pa., was treated for two fractures in his face, an eye that was swollen shut with leakage and other facial lacerations, according to a Facebook post by his brother, Angel Rivera. Rivera explains that Perrin does not speak and is therefore unable to tell his family how he was hurt.
In a YouTube video posted on June 7, Perrin’s mother explains that he was injured when he fell off a school bus, and school staff is at fault because they did not look after him or break his fall.
“No one should have immunity against child negligence,” she said in her video. The student’s mother says that, unless the family provides a subpeona, the elementary school refuses to release footage of the incident to see how he was hurt.
“May Michael have justice for the negligence and failure to protect this little angel,” she said in a video. “Because of you, your mommy will fight so this will never happen to another chid again.”
The videos and Facebook posts have garnered huge social media support, with people speaking out about the severity of the injuries on his face, commenting that it doesn’t look like it was just from a fall.
“It looks like he was beat up, dragged on the floor as well. This was not from a damn fall,” commented Steven Gibbs. Barbara Andrews added, “just by what I’m seeing here in the picture, it doesn’t look like he fell, looks more the little guy was beaten up and kicked around. I hope they don’t get away with this.”
People have taken to speaking for Perrin online, with even Cardi B posting about the incident on her Instagram story, with captions including “#justiceformichael,” “We still speak for you Papi, you will be heard” and “Absolutely not today Satan.”
In a YouTube video posted on June 8, 3 days after the accident, Perrin’s mother showed that his eyes were beginning to open up, but the boy was still having difficulties.
Principal of Resica Elementary, Gail Kulick, East Stroudsburg Area School District representatives and Angel Rivera did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.
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