A Phoenix father said he wants his 6-year-old son's elementary school to tackle a bullying incident that left his son bruised and frightened.
Jayden, a kindergarten student, was bullied on a bus ride home Thursday, chased from the bus stop, and then assaulted outside his apartment, according to his father, Michael Johnson.
Jayden goes to Lakeview School, 3040 W. Yucca St., part of the Washington Elementary School District, his father said.
The bully, a second-grade student, punched Jayden and slammed him into a concrete walkway outside their apartment building, both Jayden and his father said. Johnson showed ABC15 photos of Jayden with a knot on his forehead and scratches on his cheek.
"That's bullying," Johnson said. "I thought they [the school] had a 'no tolerance' [policy] for that."
A school official told the family that there was nothing the school could do since the incident did not happen on school property, Jayden's family said.
A call to a district spokesperson Monday afternoon was not returned.
By not addressing the incident, the school is "letting the kids know, 'Hey, it's alright, you can beat up on a [kindergarten student],'" Johnson said.
Jayden's mother did not meet him at the bus stop because he wanted more independence. The parents are considering pulling their son out of Lakeview if the issue is not addressed, and will meet their son at the bus stop from now on.
The Phoenix Police Department is investigating the incident, Johnson said.
