Mom Says Son, 7, ‘Was Hung in the Boys Bathroom’ as School Claims It Was a ‘Horseplaying’ Accident: ‘He’s Traumatized’

Mar. 15, 2025

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The parents of a 7-year-old Maryland student have “so many questions left unanswered” after they say their son “was hung” in a school bathroom.

The boy’s mother, whose identity has not been shared, recounted the incident in a social media post and provided details of what happened on Friday, Nov. 15, at Waldorf’s C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School to area outletsWUSA News 9,WTOP NewsandFox 5 Washington, D.C.

The parents told WUSA 9 News that the injuries their son sustained included “marks under his eyes” and “bruises on his neck from being choked.”

“He’s traumatized. It’s going to take time,“ the mom said. “This is not something he’s going to just get over overnight.”

The schoolreleased a statementon the day of the incident, describing it as a “horseplaying” accident. “Two of our students were reportedly horseplaying in a school bathroom when one student’s jacket got caught on a stall door hook,” the school wrote.

“The student was not able to free themselves and the other student involved was also not able to help them,” the statement continued. “This student left the bathroom to seek help from staff and reported the incident to administrators. Administrators responded and were able to assist, but staff called 911 for additional precautionary medical support.”

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C. Paul Barnhart Elementary Schoolalso said that there is an ongoing investigation into the incident, and the school resource officer and police are involved with the school’s administrators.

She said she received “the most traumatizing phone call” from the school informing her that her son was being rushed to a children’s hospital.

“I walked into the trauma room with 8-10 doctors surrounding my son,” the mom continued. “This is the most heartbreaking & traumatizing situation my family has ever been in.”

The mother is hoping to bring awareness to other parents and students about the incident, emphasizing that “everything about this is unacceptable nothing about this is ok BULLYING is never ok.”

source: people.com