The mother of a 15-year-old boy who claims he has been bullied for the past 12 months and who was told he could not return to CedarBridge this year is seeking "accountability" from the Ministry of Education.

The single mother, who asked that her name and that of her son be omitted to protect him from further abuse, has been struggling to ensure her son is safe at school.

Now Myron Piper, of the Bermuda Educational Parents' Association (BEPA) said the organisation, which has been supporting the mother through her struggle, is contacting lawyers.

Mr. Piper said he had seen the evidence of bullying while the boy was still at Sandys Middle School and then when he received an eight inch gash on his cheek in January while he was at CedarBridge that needed nine stitches.

Finally in June he was attacked by an older boy as they left school. When she sought help, a senior Education officer texted her on August 27 to offer her son three days of Career Exploration at Southside and two days at the Student Resource Centre at CedarBridge.

When she rejected this offer, because she said it ostracised her son, she found that last Tuesday when he reported for orientation at CedarBridge he was told he could not come back until the Ministry had dealt with the matter. She contacted the Ministry of Education again and she received an e-mail saying he would be offered a landscaping position with Youth and Sport with tutoring on the side.

In an e-mail, the mother shared with this paper, Acting Permanent Secretary Radell Tankard offered this suggestion for the teenager: "A. Work with Youth and Sport daily doing landscaping (Port's Island, Darrell's Island, White's Island) and working on boats. Interaction/social skills development with others on the job.

"B. Supervision by and school work with Cherise Bean (teacher) while on the job. C. Will do maths and English. D. Receive intervention at Child and Adolescent Services for emotional health."

Neither of these options are viable, said the boy's mother, who asked why if the Ministry was asking for accountability from parents and teachers that they are not exercising the same responsibility. "They have not given me fair options and that's my bottom line. We are not dealing with a prisoner. We are dealing with a child here," she said.

"We are dealing with a poor child who is a victim of our society. They need to do the right thing. "Here I am trying to get involved and they are telling me not to do it. Why does my child keep being picked on? My son has a right to a safe environment. Why don't they pay for it (a private education) if they can't provide a safe environment? Give me some money and let me choose it."

And yesterday, Mr. Piper also dismissed the offers the mother received saying it was violating the child's rights and the Ministry could no longer bully parents who are seeking the best for their children.

Mr. Piper said that the Ministry acted without following its code of conduct by not informing the mother of the expulsion or the actions that were taken before the boy was released from the school. Mr. Piper added that BEPA would be seeking lawyers on behalf of the mother and her son to ensure that the matter was taken care of fairly.

He said: "I think there are several things we have to look at here. The school had failed to provide her child with a safe environment for a free education which is Government's mandate.

"They have failed to submit written documentation with the steps they have taken to resolve this issue. What type of bullying policies do they have in place? It's their duty to offer a safe environment for all our students.

"The other thing is the Ministry and the Government insist we need to do more to help our young black males to achieve and they are ostracising this kid. They have stripped him of all his rights. He was ID'd as a target from the beginning and nothing was done.

"They are violating his civil rights and I think it's important for all parents to realise the need for a parent's organisation. And there's no entity that serves the needs of the children and parents. These are exactly the types of situations we are fighting so that rights of the children are not curtailed or violated."

Asked for comment Mr. Tankard said he regretted the rejection and that the Ministry would continue working to suggest other alternatives.

"The Ministry of Education has been in contact with the mother and we have discussed the circumstances surrounding her son," he said. "Over a period of time, the Ministry has worked on unique solutions that were tailored to meet the boy's needs. On suggesting programmes that were seen, by us, to be to his benefit, the mother has chosen to reject them.

"While the rejection is regrettable, I assure you that we will continue to reach out to her in the interest of finding a solution. The student who attacked the boy was removed from CedarBridge Academy and has not returned."

He said specific details about students' behaviours and the Ministry's response to that behaviour could not be shared because of the need to "preserve a positive relationship with parents that results in mutual solutions".

At the time of going to press the mother said she had not been contacted by the Ministry and her son remained out of school.

For more information about BEPA or to contact them with your concerns contact Mr. Piper at: 532 BEPA.