Call #1

Here's the specifics from the first phone call the other day:

Call #1: The Principal
Tuesday morning, Zeke went into the bathroom at school and laid his backpack on the floor. When he walked out and went to class, he forgot about his backpack. All the principal knew when he called me was that the backpack was in a urinal and had been peed on. I think the principal was concerned that I would be upset but he said they were giving Zeke a new backpack and planner so I figured Zeke would be fine.
.
Later in the day, I started to process what might have happened and discovered we might have a few issues going on. Was Zeke were he was supposed to be and was he being deliberately targeted.
.
I've been dropping all the kids off at school in the mornings this year. In kindergarten, I walked Zeke into the classroom and stayed with him until the bell rang. In first grade, I walked him in and an aid stayed with him. In second grade, I dropped him off at the resource room and then an aid walked him to his classroom when the bell rang. This is the first year we have progressed to letting Zeke walk to the playground by himself (from the van) and then line up with his class when the bell rings. We- the staff and myself- kept a close eye on him the first week but it was going well so we let him be a little more independent. I was now hoping that it wasn't going to backfire on us.
.
After I got off work, I called the head of Zeke's resource room and visited with her about the situation. Have I mentioned lately that I love working with her as the head of Zeke's team at school! We're both on the same page as far as Zeke's education and behavior. Anyway, we both felt like it was an isolated incident and most likely not a deliberate attack on Zeke. All the kids at school seem to like Zeke, or at least put up with him :) We couldn't think of anyone who really dislikes him enough to do something like this.
.
We also agreed that without knowing what really happened, we would keep a closer eye on Zeke in the mornings again. She knew that Zeke had lined up outside with his class and come inside the building. They think that Zeke went into the bathroom and wasn't use to having his backpack on in there so he took it off, possibly laying it in the urinal.
.
After work, I picked the kids up at The Club. Riley and Taylor informed me that a boy at the club was bragging about putting a backpack in the urinal and peeing on it. When another boy said he was going to tell, the first boy threatened to hurt him. Riley has said in the past that the first boy bullies other kids.
.
The good news is that the backpack incident wasn't directed specifically at Zeke. This boy would have done the same to any backpack he found in the bathroom. When I learned the name of the child involved, I shared it with Zeke's teacher and let the school handle it. At first, I was upset and a bit angry that there was bullying going on, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered what was going on in that little boy's life that made him feel like acting out that way. I hope someone can intervene in that boy's life in such a way that the real issue is discovered and he doesn't feel the need to destroy other things anymore.
.