A teenage boy in Bristol, England, reportedly hid in the toilet of his school for three days in order to avoid bullies. The incident came to light when it was observed by the authorities at the Cotham School that the boy was missing his classes for three consecutive days. They suspected it to be an attempt of truanting after which they reached out to his parents.
The boy’s parents, unaware of the issue their son was facing at school, were shocked to know about his absence from the classes. When the boy was confronted, he revealed that though he was at school, he stayed in the bathroom to hide from some of the bullies who were tormenting him.
His father has since then been furious at the school authorities, who did not inform him about his absence sooner. He felt that the situation could have been dealt better.
“When I told them I had not received a text (on Monday or Tuesday), they said they never had that issue before and their system had never failed,” the father was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“They don't take the situation very seriously or the wellbeing of [my son], who has been in the toilet for three days,” the father added.
According to Cotham School's attendance policy, they contact the parents on the first day of absence by text, in case there is no prior communication explaining the absence.
The boy’s parents have met the head teacher of the school to discuss the situation. The school has launched an investigation into the incident to get to the bottom of the issue. The boy was reportedly threatened by a group of miscreants following certain disagreement.
“We take allegations of bullying and the wellbeing of our students very seriously and are working with this family to investigate,” said a spokesperson of Cotham School. He added that they were saddened as the student felt unable to attend classes and could not approach the pastoral staff for support.