The 12-year-old son of Beronica Ruiz, 35, came home from school and told his mom about a bully who’d told him he needed to “go back to Mexico."
A New Jersey mom was hospitalized after she was allegedly beaten up by a 13-year-old boy who had reportedly been bullying her son.
The 12-year-old son of Beronica Ruiz, 35, came home from school last week and told his mom about a bully who’d told him he needed to “go back to Mexico” during lunch, Ruiz’s attorney, Daniel Santiago, told InsideEdition.com.
Other students who were present allegedly also said statements such as “Mexicans should go back behind the wall" and allegedly threatened the boy's life, according to Santiago.
When Ruiz’s son complained to a teacher at Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 about what happened, they separated them, but they did not report the incident to his parents, according to Santiago.
It wasn’t until her son got home that Ruiz heard about the incident. The next day, Ruiz complained to the school’s vice principal about not being contacted after the incident. Santiago said the vice principal acknowledged he'd dropped the ball.
The same day, on June 19, the alleged bully spotted the mom walking with her 1-year-old in a stroller and her son, and he allegedly assaulted the mom, fracturing her eye socket and leaving her with a bloodied eye.
She was in the hospital for two days after the attack.
“Her physical injuries are healing, but the worst of it is the emotional pain,” Santiago said. “The worst is feeling like she’s not safe in their home. Her children feel like they’re not welcome in their own county. That’s a sad thought.”
The student was eventually suspended and charged with assault. The family plans on filing a lawsuit against the school, Santiago said.
“The school failed my client,” the lawyer added.
Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy School No. 20 did not respond to InsideEdition.com’s request for comment.
The local mayor, Hector Lora, said he met with school officials about the matter, however.
“I have met with my chief of police, local officials and school administration as well as board members to make sure there is accountability and that this family receives justice as well as any help and resources we can provide," Lora said in a statement.
"The details regarding what led up to this incident remain under investigation; however one thing is very clear: What occurred to this mother is unacceptable and whatever we need to do as a city, as a community to do better by our families and our children we will do,” he added.
RELATED STORIES
