Giada Oates was put in a chokehold by a seventh grader at Hackensack Middle School.
A 10-year-old has become the “whistleblower” for bullying she said she endured at her New Jersey school with a literal whistle.
Giada Oates said she was put in a chokehold by a seventh grader at Hackensack Middle School in December, and she said the boy told her “you will die a silent death" as he was doing it.
"I was really scared. I mean I've never been choked that hard before,” she told CBS2. “So it was kind of surprising but it was so tight if he held on for any longer, I would have fainted on the floor."
After the terrifying incident, Giada said, she wanted a way to protect herself, so she came up with the idea of bringing a whistle to school with her. She decided she would blow it if she ever felt threatened or bullied.
“It will call immediate attention to that person who's doing something really horrible to you,” Giada said.
She wears the whistle around her neck while at school now.
“It made me feel like I had more power over the bully, and it made me feel empowered,” she added.
A representative from the school district said the Board of Education can’t comment on the matter because of student confidentiality but added that “student safety in an ongoing critical priority."
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