Child given urine to drink

The mother of a nine-year-old girl is fuming after the child was given urine to drink by one of her classmates.

June* said she is also extremely disappointed with how the matter is being handled by the school's officials as the issue is yet to be properly addressed.

"Mi don't want mi daughter to go through these things. She is different from other children and mi take this matter very seriously. I expect the [other] child to get a suspension or that even her parents were notified. That child should not have returned to school without a parent. It is like everything is normal and the teacher isn't pushing the situation," June said.

The mother said the incident happened last week but she was not made aware until about two days later by one of her daughter's classmate.

"On mi way a go for mi baby from school one little boy tell mi say a little girl give her 'pee pee' to drink. My daughter did not tell mi anything. When mi hear, tears come to mi eyes. When mi reach the school, mi ask mi daughter what the little girl give her to drink and she say pee pee and mi ask her if she drink it and she say yes. She say she didn't know it was pee pee and just put the bottle at her head and drink," the woman said.

June said when she initially tried to bring the matter to the teacher's attention, she was told that she was disturbing the class.

"I went and explained what happened and then I see the little girl and asked her why she give my child pee to drink and she say she didn't. Same time the entire class started shouting and said it was true. The teacher tell mi that I couldn't talk about it right now and she will speak with the father and guidance counsellor. Mi tell har say guidance counsellor gone a him yard long time," she said.

June said the incident was not the first in which her daughter was bullied by that particular child. She however stated that despite the harsh treatment, her daughter remains close friends with her bully.

"One day she wet her up from head to foot. The teacher tell mi that she constantly move mi daughter away from that girl but mi daughter keep on a hitch up on her. My daughter learns and develops at a different pace from other children and as a result, she sometimes doesn't know the difference between good and bad. My daughter is very friendly and it's like she will just accept anything because she really don't know the difference. I always tell her not to take things to eat from people," June said.

"Right now we are in dialogue with a social worker as we are trying to get her help and she is saying that my daughter has a memory problem. She has speech issues as well as instruction issues and other things," June added.

She told THE STAR that she does not think the parents of the other child are aware of the incident.

"From last week the teacher saying that they can't get to any of the little girl family which I find strange. Right now, all mi gonna do is ask the teacher for the father of the child number, because if mi baby get sick, is right at his gate I am gonna put her. I didn't take her to the doctor because mi never hear her a bawl for anyting. It rest on mi every day and I need to speak to the child's parents. If mi no see any parents, I am going to bring the matter to the police station," June said.

THE STAR tried to get a comment from the school's administration but several calls to the institution went unanswered.

*Name changed to protect identity