A Maryland mother claims in a viral social media post that her young son was hung on a stall door hook in the boys’ bathroom at school, resulting in his hospitalization in a neck brace.
The alleged incident happened on Nov. 15 at C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School. School officials called 911 after finding the boy hitched up, but details remain murky about what actually transpired between the two youths.
On the same day, Barnhart Principal Carrie Burke released a statement saying the two students had been “horseplaying” when the situation took a dangerous turn.
Later on social media, the boy’s mother went viral after sharing conflicting details about what happened, including an image of her son in the hospital wearing a neck brace.
“My child, who is a 2nd grader, was hung in the boys’ bathroom by a 4th grader,” she wrote, adding, “I received the most traumatizing phone call from the school stating that my child was being rushed to the children’s hospital in NW.”
School officials did not share specific details about what occurred during the incident but indicated that the narrative being pushed on social media was false and misleading.
The mother’s account suggested that her son might have been hung by the neck, yet this claim could not be independently verified.
“The principal went into the bathroom and found my baby foaming at the mouth and unconscious,” the mother alleged in the widely shared post on Instagram. “I walked into the trauma room with 8-10 doctors surrounding my son. This is the most heartbreaking and traumatizing situation my family has ever been in,” she said.
Amid the uproar, Principal Burke sent a letter to parents and staff confirming the incident but stated, “Due to privacy reasons, I am not able to share any additional details with you,” according to reports.
Without naming names, Burke’s statement condemned the social media posts about the incident as “inaccurate.”
“I understand that the initial 911 report resulted in a first responder call that shared a possible suicide attempt occurred at our school,” she stated. “This was then posted on social media by a community member, causing a bit of community concern.”
Burke noted that Barnhart staff and Charles County Public Schools administrators had shared updates “to dispel any inaccurate information beginning to circulate.”
Burke also apologized for the delay in delivering an update to the community but explained that “our administrative team was addressing the needs of our students.”
She emphasized, “Any time we have an emergency situation at our school, the administrative team will quickly address, ensure all students and staff are safe, and then communicate with parents after we have accurate information to share.”
However, the absence of a clear explanation left plenty of room for speculation on social media about what had actually taken place.
“How did his jacket get caught on the hook? The hooks be up a little high. And to try to say it was ‘horseplay,’ be for real,” one Instagram user wrote in the comments section. “The school already looks bad with the incident, trying to say it’s ‘horseplay’ is not making anything better. It just sounds like a coverup to soften the blow.”
Another individual criticized school officials for not being transparent with parents about the incident.
“The school trying to cover it up is crazy. A child is not gonna accidentally hang from horse-playing… bye!!! At least make it make sense if we’re gonna lie! Once baby boy makes a full recovery, the ONLY TRUTH I WANT IS HIS. The 4th grader’s parents and the school WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!”
According to reports, the second-grade boy and a fourth-grader were goofing off in the bathroom when his jacket somehow got hitched to the hook while he was still wearing it, though it was not clear how.
When it became clear that the boy was stuck, a student ran to the office for help. However, administrators have not said whether the boy who sought assistance was the same fourth-grader involved.
Moments later, a school administrator showed up and got the boy down, then 911 was called by a staff member for “additional precautionary medical support.”
Burke did not mention any disciplinary action for those involved. Instead, she commended the student, who quickly alerted school officials to the situation in the bathroom.
“I appreciate the quick thinking of the student who reported their classmate needed help, our staff for calmly managing a schedule disruption, and our students who followed our directions this afternoon so emergency medical services (EMS) could enter the school and provide care for the student,” she said.
