Mother says bullying forced son out of DeKalb school

Mother upset after son bullied at school

A metro Atlanta mother says severe bullying at McNair Middle School forced her to withdraw her 12-year-old son from the school. Tara Jabour has the story. 

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A metro Atlanta mother is sharing her frustration after she says severe bullying forced her to pull her 12-year-old son out of his DeKalb County School District school.

Tanisha Pitts says her son, Devonear Pitts, struggled for months because of bullying at McNair Middle School. She recently made the decision to remove him from the school after a video of one incident went viral.

What we know:

Pitts says she was unaware of the severity of the bullying until another parent recently sent her multiple videos showing Devonear being bullied inside a classroom at McNair Middle School.

"One child slapped him in the face and the same child that slapped him in the face dragged him by his hoodie on the ground, on the dirty floor," Pitts said.

The footage left the mother devastated.

"I started crying, I started crying," Pitts said. "My son didn’t come home and tell me this. I had to find this out, and it hurt me every single day. I see it in my son's face."

Pitts said she feels the school district did not do enough to discipline the students involved in the incidents. In response to her concerns, she met with the school’s principal and filed a police report before ultimately withdrawing her son from the school.

Pitts is now encouraging other families to have open conversations about bullying.

"It comes from home first, home first," Pitts said, adding, "Keep y'all kids close. Make sure you talk to your kids every day."

Devonear is now attending a new school on Atlanta’s west side.

What they're saying:

The DeKalb County School District addressed the situation in a statement provided to FOX 5.

"The top priority of the DeKalb County School District is to ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students. Because of this, we take incidents of bullying at any of our schools very seriously.

School officials began investigating this matter after it was brought to their attention. The principal has spoken to the parent and plans to create a safety plan. The principal will meet with the parent and provide an update afterward.

DCSD has a 'BULLYING STOPS HERE!' Awareness Campaign to stop bullying, harassment, discrimination, and hazing in schools. This comprehensive approach to addressing these issues seeks to educate not only students but the entire community of stakeholders. The district also has social media guidelines for students to address cyberbullying."

For more information about the campaign, click here.