We all expect our children to be safe while they're at school. Especially in elementary school.
But one Creve Coeur mom said her daughter, who has autism, was choked by another student.
The taunts are cruel. Even for 4th graders.
"'You're stinky, you're ugly, you're stupid, you're a loser,’" said Liza Pequeno.
These are the put downs Pequeno said her 10-year-old daughter Maddalyn hears every day at Craig Elementary School.
"She's different, she acts out. She gets stimulated by sights, sounds, too many kids," said Pequeno.
That can sometimes make Maddalyn a target for her classmates. But last week, Pequeno said the bullying became physical
"She said that the little girl went up to her... and choked her. She said it was scary," said Pequeno.
Immediately after that, Pequeno said both kids were put on the school bus together.
A spokesperson for the Parkway school district said the children were on the bus together, but they were separated.
Pequeno said the bullying continued.
"I do not think the girls should've been put on the same bus at the end of day, especially after that incident. Once the little girl continued to taunt my daughter she should've been suspended from the school bus. I think [the district] need to protect my daughter," said Pequeno.
But school principal David Duckworth told 5 On Your Side that's exactly what he's been working to do.
"We immediately investigated that situation. We communicated with the needed parties in the incident," said Duckworth.
But Duckworth could not tell us what, if any, discipline the student who allegedly choked Maddalyn faced, citing student privacy issues.
"In this situation, I feel like all the students are safe regarding what happened in this," said Duckworth.
But how safe is Maddalyn's school?
The I-Team dug up the latest state education data which shows in 2015 there were 48 assaults or fights at Craig elementary school.
That's the second highest rate of assaults of any Parkway District School.
Duckworth said the incidents are not as violent as they may seem.
"We have had some discipline but there's a wide range," said Duckworth.
The data was a shock to Pequeno, who has been very happy with the school and district up until this recent incident.
"I would've never guessed it. Never guessed it. That's heartbreaking that these little kids have to go through that," said Pequeno.
Pequeno is now filled with fear every time she sends her child to school.
"Where's the 'no tolerance' for bullying? Or harassment? My child was assaulted," said Pequeno.
Pequeno reported the incident through the MIssouri School Violence Hotline.
If you need to report bullying at your child's school, you can use the Missouri school violence hotline.
You can report anonymously on the website or by phone. Click here or call 1-866-748-7047.
