Mother Claims 4th Grader Threatened To Stab Her Son At School

Elizabeth Gaytan says her 4th grade son was brought to tears not by a schoolyard taunt at Loma Elementary School, but by a very specific threat last Friday.

“A threat from one of the kids that has been bullying him for years,” she told ABC-7. “That they’re gonna stab him.”

A meeting was arranged with the school’s principal, but Gaytan said when her husband asked to record the meeting for the family’s personal records, the principal told them no.

When the discussion became heated, the Gaytans said they were asked to leave. The principal’s recommendation: they move their son out of the school.

“Does that make any sense?” asked Gaytan. “Why am I going to remove my kid? He’s the one being bullied, he’s the victim.”

The parents then took their complaint to the Socorro Independent School District Headquarters where they met with Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Pat O’Neill.

“(The Gaytans) had some issues, potential bullying issues which we take very serious in the district,” O’Neill told ABC-7. “We’re working with them to resolve those issues to help the child.”

O’Neill said he couldn’t reveal with the accused bully had been disciplined after Friday’s incident due to privacy laws.

“We will deal with it immediately,” he said. “(Bullying) is not something we just linger and fester.”

Gaytan told ABC-7 O’Neill will meet with Loma Verde administration. She is hopeful for a quick resolution for her son’s sake.

“I don’t want my son to be a statistic,” she said. “Kids kill themselves for being bullied at school.”