Outraged father Tamer Fhas said his son’s school is denying what he alleges is ongoing bullying that led to the boy being seriously injured and hospitalized.
Youssef, 13, still needed a walker when he was discharged from hospital after an incident during a physical education class at Minaret College in late May.
The school, located in Officer, 53km south-east of Melbourne’s CBD, is one of the city’s leading Islamic schools.
The teen said another student had already pushed him to the ground twice during a supervised soccer game and then injured him when he allegedly pushed Youssef a third time.
“He grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me from behind and my head, and I fell down and couldn’t do anything. I screamed very loudly. I couldn’t move any part of my body,” Youssef said. 7News.
His colleagues had to take him to the school infirmary, where the staff called his father, but he was unable to leave work immediately to be with his son.
A school staff member accompanied Youssef in the ambulance that took him to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Although the hospital, according to its report, was told that the incident occurred “outside of school,” It happened at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, which was a school day.
Outraged father Tamer Mousa has said his son’s school is denying what he alleges is ongoing bullying which led to Youssef (pictured) being seriously injured and hospitalised.
A medical report, obtained by Channel 7, said Youssef’s paraspinal muscles were torn between his C4 and T1 vertebrae, and his C6 vertebra suffered trabecular microfractures.
In addition to needing a walker upon discharge, the teen was also given a soft collar, a prescription for Endone pain medication and a physical therapy plan.
Youssef said he had previously told school staff about alleged bullying, including isolation, name-calling and name-calling for wearing glasses.
His father said two teachers listened to his concerns, but Youssef said his warning to his alleged harasser was ineffective.
But the school has denied that the teenager had previously reported any cases of bullying to staff.
“We have not received any reports from this student or his family regarding any bullying issues since he joined the university last year,” said the school’s director, Mohammed Taksim. Seven.
‘Minaret College staff responded quickly and professionally to treat a student who was injured whilst playing football on the school oval during a PE lesson.
‘While there was no evidence of harassment, the matter was investigated as a serious incident and resolved appropriately.’
Mr Taksim said the school does what it can “to prevent bullying and respond quickly if it occurs” and that it “runs a very extensive anti-bullying programme for all students at all levels”.
However, Mr Mousa said the school had admitted there had been instances of bullying when it held an in-person meeting.
She said she was also advised to look for other educational options for her children if she had lost faith in Minaret College.
The father said a social worker reported “a profound impact on Youssef’s mental well-being,” including “emotional distress, anxiety and depression arising from long-standing bullying.”
“I really don’t want that guy to come near me ever and I don’t want to go to school. I have a lot of stress and anxiety about going back to school,” Youssef said.
“I am very scared, I have nightmares and it is very difficult for me to walk without the support; I have hardly any feeling on the left side of my body.”
The teenager eventually returned to school, more than two months after the alleged incident.
Minaret College (pictured) denied that the teenager had informed staff about previous instances of bullying.
Although the hospital was told, according to its report (pictured), that the incident occurred “outside of school,” it happened at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, which was a school day.
Although he no longer needs the walker, he still wears the neck brace and is in pain from the alleged harassment.
Mr. Mousa wants to transfer his four children to another school.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Minaret College for further comment.
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