The second the bell rang and third grade teacher, Miss Lemon, allowed the class to go, Josh Bowden was out of there like a shot. Another day of being under the heavy yoke of his stern teacher was over. He was looking forward to playing outside or watching afternoon cartoons, he hadn’t decided which one to do yet. He bade goodbye to his friend Jeffrey who lived in the opposite direction and had to go to Hebrew lessons after school and walked out of the school gate.
All positive feelings he might have had evaporated as soon as he was outside the gate. A large group of fifth and sixth graders glared at him as the left school property. Their stares made him feel anxious and uncomfortable and he tried hard not to look at them. The fact that his personal nemesis and neighbourhood bully David Armando was among the crowd further strengthened his resolve to get away. Besides, David only would have barked at him to stay away from them, so he thought it best he did. It wasn’t until he crossed the busy road that he noticed that David and his gang were walking behind him. Less than one hundred feet from the road, they surrounded him. Another fifth grader, a girl named Diane Hockley, stepped in front of Josh and in one swift motion, knocked his books out of his hand. Before he could bend down and pick up some of the loose papers that were about to blow away, David came over and punched him several times. None of the punches really hurt but it was enough to upset Josh further. Then a tall, thin boy with black hair came up to him and simply kicked him in the groin.
“Right in the dick!” the boy exclaimed as Josh doubled over in pain and to the laughter of everyone in David’s group.
“Fuckers!” Josh yelled through soggy eyes. The mocking “ooohh’s” by a few in the crowd let him know that his response had no effect. Seeing a safety standing a few feet away, he threw a pleading glance towards him. The round lieutenant of the safety patrol must have sensed Josh’s plea. He smiled and simply declared, “I can’t do anything about it.”
The refusal of the safety to involve himself in the obvious bullying of a younger pupil only encouraged the gang to taunt him more. With eyes full of tears, he picked up his books and ran. David chased him a few steps before aiming a kick at Josh’s bottom that missed badly. He ran for two blocks before he was sure that no one was following him. It was then he let his tears fully flow. He was only a few houses away from his own before he finally managed to completely halt the flow of tears.
Mother’s intuition that something was wrong greeted him when he came through the door. He was too upset to say “Nothing,” when mother asked what was wrong. Therefore, he gave the entire account of what transpired on the way home from school that day. Mrs Bowden listened sympathetically to her son and gave assurances that she was going to seek justice. However, when Mr Bowden got home that evening, he vetoed the idea. He reasoned that it might be a one off and that charging into school might produce the reverse effect. However, he instructed his son that if it ever happened again, to tell them immediately and father and mother would take the appropriate action. One area where both parents totally agreed was that they were both angry at the non action of the safety who had witnessed their son’s bullying. Josh’s father promised that if that happened again, he would make sure that the safety would be stripped of his belt.
The very next day, the same group of children were on hand as Josh came out of the school gate. This time, the predators didn’t wait for him to cross the road. Right by the school gate and in plain view of the same safety, Diane once again attempted to separate Josh from his books. He must have been subconsciously prepared for the attack because he clung very tightly to his books and the attempt failed. Frustrated at this failure, Diane gave him a forceful shove in the back. He didn’t fall but had to lunge forward a couple of steps to maintain his balance. That provided the tall boy with another opportunity to kick for glory. Again, he was subconsciously prepared and turned enough so the kick struck his upper thigh. It still hurt though and he cried out bringing laughter to the crowd.
Fighting back the tears, he made his way to the nearby street corner in the hopes of finding some sort of sanctuary. He would have crossed the street except for the safety posted there reminding him the light was red. For what seemed an eternity, he waited for the light to change, all the time sensing David and the gang behind him. The second the light changed, he dashed into the street only to trip over the foot that David had extended in his path. He fell hard to his knees and his books scattered onto the street. In between crying and trying to pick up his books, the group passed him laughing as they did so. By the time he collected everything, the light had changed back to red and he had to wait. The safety stood by him looking very bemused and when Josh looked at him pleadingly for help, the safety gain responded, “I can’t do anything about it.”
Once more mother’s intuition was working and she was there to question her son when he came through the door. Josh wasted no time in telling her what happened. When he finished, she enquired, “Was there a safety there?” “Yes!” Josh cried, “And he said he couldn’t do anything about it.” Denise Bowden was fuming. Not only was her son being bullied by older kids, someone who was supposed to prevent such things from happening saw the whole thing and did nothing. She didn’t need her husband’s affirmation, although she had it anyway, to seek justice for her son.
The next morning, she was in the principal’s office to present her case. Mr Brandle, the principal, was less than five years from retirement and wasn’t about to let a bullying incident such as this tarnish his illustrious career. He listened to the aggrieved mother, nodding so much it looked as if his glasses were going to bounce off his long nose. When she finished, he assured her that bullying at the school wasn’t tolerated and that the individuals concerned would be dealt with. He made further assurances that the entire safety patrol would be taken to task over the incident.
The principal was true to his word. David and Diane were equally taken to task for their part in the bullying of Josh. There were given a week of after school detentions and made to write an apology letter to him. Mr Brandle also explained that if it happened again, they would be suspended and that the only reason they weren’t this time was because they had given the name of the boy who had kicked Josh in the testicles. He was suspended.
He was just as ruthless, yet lenient with Andy, the safety who watched and did nothing. “It has come to my attention that a third grader was bullied by older pupils while you stood there and did nothing,” he accused.
Andy knew too well that it was totally pointless to lie to the principal, so he tried another defense. “The kid was cursing at them,” he reasoned.
Having heard just about every excuse under the sun in his long career as an educator, Mr Brandle remained unimpressed. “Tell me,” he asked Andy, “Did the boy curse before or after the bullying started?”
The safety didn’t even think to lie. “They were picking on him first,” he confessed. Then he justified, “There were too many of them and I was on my own.”
Mr Brandle was prepared for this predictable response as well. “You could have made mental notes of the bullies and taken down names, especially as most of them were in your grade, so you probably know many of them and if they don’t respect your authority as a safety, then that’s more trouble for them.” Andy’s silence was indication that the principal had gotten his point across. Seizing the moment he told Andy, “The parents of the third grader want me to strip you of your belt but I’m not going to do that; this time. You’re a good safety but I need to set an example. Therefore, I am demoting you from lieutenant to regular safety.”
The following day, Mr Brandle attended the weekly safeties’ meeting and explained why Andy was no longer a lieutenant. He further warned them, “If I hear any more reports of a safety not intervening in an instance of bullying, especially if it’s older pupils ganging up on a younger one, then that safety will be stripped of his belt.” To give support to the safeties, he spend most of the remainder of the meeting instructing them on what to do if they witness bullying. When he finished, every safety in the room was crystal clear about what to do and knew that the principal meant business.
Josh had no trouble for the next few days. He only saw David once and that was a chance passing in the school corridor. Still, David took the opportunity to whisper to his friend, “That’s the little punk that got me in trouble with the principal.” But when he left school at the end of the day, there were no longer any gangs waiting for him so he felt he had nothing to worry about when he walked out of the school gate. Andy was no longer posted there so he didn’t notice the two new safeties glaring at him as he waited for the light to turn green. When it did, the shorter of the two safeties stepped in front of him and ordered, “Wait here.”
Taught to respect authority, Josh obeyed. Then after waiting a few minutes, the safety finally allowed him to cross. He was less than halfway across when the red light turned yellow. Instinctively, he dashed for the opposite side of the road but the light turned right before he was all the way across. When he reached the other side, the safety who had detained him called out, “You’re getting reported for walking through a red light.”
He didn’t worry too much about the safety’s threat but before the class went out for recess the next day, Miss Lemon asked him to wait. When the rest of the class had exited the room he sternly informed him, “You were reported to me by a safety stating that you walked through a red light yesterday.”
Josh opened his mouth to explain that the safety had made him wait but the teacher silenced him with a wave of her hand. Then wagging her wrinkled finger at him, she warned, “I better not hear any more reports like this about you. If I do, you’ll be kept in at recess to learn about road safety.”
The same two safeties were there at the corner when Josh went through the gate after school. Once again, the shorter of the two safeties told him to wait when the light turned green. “You made me go through a red light yesterday,” Josh protested before starting to cross the street.
The safety didn’t stop him but the larger safety pointed out, “He’s talking back to you.”
“That’s right,” the shorter safety agreed. “You’re getting reported for that.”
Nothing more was said and Josh crossed the road without further hindrance. However, sure enough, the next morning, he was once again held back at recess time by Miss Lemon. “Now the safeties say that you’re talking back to them, not cooperating,” she scolded.
He opened his mouth to utter a defense but again he was forbidden to speak. “Safeties are there for your protection and need to be respected. So today, you will stay in for recess and write ten times, ‘I will respect safeties.’”
Josh had no other choice than to accept his punishment even though his eight year old mind knew that it was unfair. A simple plan unfolded in his mind that after school, he would go home a different way. When the bell rang, that’s exactly what he did, walking to the corner at the far end of the school. It might add a couple of blocks to his journey but at least he wouldn’t be confronted by those safeties. That, at least, was what he hoped.
The two safeties at this particular street corner were fourth graders, one tall and thin, the other, shorter and stouter. They stared at him but he didn’t feel intimidated. While he stood waiting for the light to change, he heard the shorter safety say to his taller colleague, “That’s the kid who got Andy busted.”
Before the light changed, the shorter one declared, “You aren’t allowed to go this way, you have to walk your normal way,” his taller companion sniggering behind him.
Knowing this to be untrue , he retorted, “That’s not true .”
Just then the light changed to green and Josh crossed. Neither safety made any attempt to stop him, they just laughed at him behind his back. His ears prepared to receive the words that he was going to be reported but those words never came. Therefore, he had reason to feel confident that this new way of walking home might work out for him.
He couldn’t have been more wrong. For the third day in a row, Miss Lemon detained him at recess, making him stay in and write fifteen times, ‘I must follow the safeties’ instructions.’ She also warned him that if she received any more reports that he was giving the safeties trouble, she would take him to see Mr Brandle.
Fearful of getting into trouble with the principal, Josh crossed the main road at the only corner where there were no safeties but a crossing guard. This added three more blocks to his walk home but it was a better alternative than getting reported by safeties. This time he was proved right. The middle aged lady crossing guard did not seem to notice him and that was good enough for him. He left school without worry and he got to go out for recess the next day.
Unfortunately, the safeties were not going to give up that easily. They might not get him crossing the road after school but they soon found other ways to torment him. One day, while lining up to go in from lunch time play, a lone piece of paper blew across the playground. A safety, who Josh didn’t recognise, came directly up to him and accused, “I bet you threw that, go and pick it up.”
“It wasn’t me,” Josh returned in protest of his innocence.
“It was you,” the safety growled. “Pick it up or you’re getting reported.
The fear of being reported to Miss Lemon gripped him tightly. Without any further protest, he picked up the paper and had to run about fifty yards to the nearest trash can to dispose of it. When he tried to return to his place in line, the safety smirked, “You got out of line, you have to go to the back.”
Still fearful of being reported, he dutifully obeyed. After that, the safeties did everything they could to make Josh’s life a misery during lunch time play. Whenever any of them saw any trash on the ground, they would make him pick it up, even if he was no where near it at the time. Sometimes, they would throw rubbish down themselves and get him to pick it up. Once, when his friend Jeffrey tried to corroborate Josh’s innocence, he was reported for talking back to a safety. Always afraid of being reported to Miss Lemon, he would comply. When the children went into school from lunch, the girl safety at the door would always tell him off for having his hat on inside the school even if he had taken it off before coming in or she would accuse him of talking in line. She would often say that she was reporting him to Miss Lemon and although she never did, the belief that she was sent his anxiety levels through the roof.
Then one lunchtime, a fight broke out between two second grade boys in the playground. Like any schoolyard fight, it brought a crowd of spectators, Josh was one of them. The fight also brought the safeties whose duty it was to break it up. Four safeties pulled the two young combatants apart and names and room numbers were collected along with a warning they were going to be reported.
After the two second graders went in opposite directions and the crowd began to disperse, the short ginger haired safety who first reported Josh for walking through a red light spotted him. Bringing a colleague with him, the safety jackbooted over to Josh and accused, “I bet you started it, you got those kids to fight.”
“No I didn’t,” Josh protested. “Yeah, he did,” the colleague confirmed.
“Yes you did,” the first safety sneered. “You wanted to see a fight so you got those two second graders to have a fight.”
Josh opened his mouth to further protest his innocence but the safety ranted, “I’m reporting you.” Then taking his colleague with him, they walked off together leaving Josh to worry about the trouble he was going to be in. Sure enough, he was reported to Miss Lemon and sure enough, she kept him in at afternoon recess.
“What’s this about you getting second graders to fight?” she practically screamed at him after the class had left.
Josh stammered, “N- No I didn’t, they’re lying.”
The teacher’s eyes bore a hole right through to his soul. “So you’re saying that two safeties, who are represenatives of Mr Brandle, are lying about you.”
Too frightened to vocalise an answer, he simply nodded. But that response was enough to fill Miss Lemon full of fury. “Come with me,” she snorted. Fearing what was to come, he followed his teacher without hesitation. It was obvious where they were heading but that didn’t stop the dread of impending doom when they stopped in front of Mr Brandle’s office. His heart skipped a beat when she knocked on the door and they were granted entrance.
“I have had problems with this child over the past several weeks,” she began. “He’s constantly being reported to me by the safeties, clearly, he has no respect for them.”
The principal listened quietly while Miss Lemon listed all of Josh’s transgressions, starting with walking through a red light to the second grader fight before ending her monologue with “He’s been nothing but trouble.”
Once she finished and took a deep breath in relief, Mr Brandle then spoke. “I’ve just spoken to those two second graders who had the fight at lunchtime. The fight started because the one boy called the other names. Neither boy knew Josh nor indicated him being involved in the fight in any way.” He then looked at Josh and asked him, “How long after your mother came to see me about the bullying on the way home from school did this start happening?” His ability to recall exact times and dates served Josh well this time.
“Three days,” he answered.
Mr Brandle nodded and turning to Miss Lemon, he stated, “When I informed you about Josh being bullied on the way home from school by older children, I failed to mention that I had to demote a safety who had witnessed the bullying and did nothing about it. It seems that the safety patrol is taking their revenge on Josh for getting Andy Steinman demoted from lieutenant.”
The teacher went silent. He turned back to Josh and asked, “Has any of the safeties said anything to you about it?”
Josh started to shake his head but then he remembered the two safeties the time he crossed at the corner he didn’t normally go. “I heard a safety say that I got Andy busted,” he informed the principal.
That was all Mr Brandle needed to hear. He told Josh to go and told Miss Lemon he would deal with the matter. He also instructed her to disregard any reports from safeties about Josh. Now I would like to say that the story has a fairly tale happy ending. That all the safeties were stripped of their belts and Josh walked home without fear of bullies or safeties. That would be ideal but in cases of bullying, it usually isn’t. The safeties involved remained as safeties and while they didn’t bother Josh anymore, he still crossed the main road by the crossing guard and made sure he avoided safeties and David Armando and his gang. The threat might not have been visible but the fear certainly still was.
