Boy with cerebral palsy bullied into lying in creek so girl can walk on him, video shows

A Canadian mom is speaking out after a video shows her 14-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, being bullied into lying in a creek so a girl could walk on him.

Terri McEachern, mom of Brett Corbett, said she was “heartbroken and angry” that students at Glace Bay High School in Nova Scotia, Canada, watched as her teenage son was bullied into making himself a human stepping stone, according to The Chronicle Herald.

What’s worse, she said, is that a girl seen on video stepping on Brett told him to be still so she could stay dry, the newspaper reported.

“I watched the video and I know the girl said to Brett ‘Lay back down. ... I don’t want to get wet,’ ” she said, according to The Chronicle Herald.

A video of the Nov. 6 incident was posted on Facebook by a user named Brandon Jolie, who said his son is friends with Brett. That video has amassed over 250,000 views and nearly 3,000 shares by Monday afternoon.

“Parents; you failed this generation,” Jolie wrote in the caption of the video. “The amount of teenagers that stood around and watched this happen, even took videos of it. I hope you watch this video, recognize your kid and feel the shame.

“To the little girl that stepped on him; you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself,” he added.

Those with cerebral palsy struggle to control their body movements — and specifically balance, posture and muscle control. Seizures, vision problems or learning impairment is also common among those who have the physical disability.

Michelle MacLeod, a communications officer with the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, wrote in a statement that an investigation into the unsettling video is underway, according to The Cape Breton Post.

“This is unacceptable and very disappointing behaviour. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and is not one that the School and the Centre for Education is proud of,” she said, according to the newspaper. The school administration and local police are both “investigating the incident,” MacLeod said, the newspaper reported.

At least one parent of a child accused of bullying Brett has spoken up. A dad, who was not identified to protect the identity of his underage child, said at a public meeting about the bullying Saturday that he was “devastated” by the video, according to CTV News. The father said he “cried (his) eyes out” because of the “cowardly” actions of his son, the outlet reported.

He also read a statement from his son, which said in part that “this has turned out to be the worst decision of my life, but first I want to say I’m sorry to Brett and his family,” according to CTV News.

Brett’s mom said that, at first, a school official told her that Brett put himself in the creek as a “dare,” according to CBC.

But, she said, “it wasn’t a dare.”

“He was told if he didn’t get in, he would be thrown in, pushed in, and there was a lot of mocking and comments were made, so he felt he had no choice” she told CBC. “That kids could just stand there and video and not want to help. There is no compassion in that.”

Brett — who said the latest incident made him feel like he’s “always getting bullied there and that no one cares” — added that he has been physically threatened by his bullies in the past, according to The Chronicle Herald.

“I tried to take this to the office and they ignored me like they ignored me back in September,” he said, according to the newspaper. “I was threatened. Someone was making fun of me for stuttering and I flipped him off. He said, ‘You flip me off one more time, I’ll kick your teeth down your throat.’ ”

There was a protest at the high school on Friday afternoon, The Cape Breton Post reported, with about 20 students leaving classes as a show of support for Brett. Brianna Marr, who attends the school, complained that involved students only got one day of suspension — something that the school district refused to confirm or deny as a part of its policies, the newspaper reported.

“What does that do? They get to not go to school for one day and not do work. They get to sleep in. And then (Brett) has to deal with that for the rest of his life,” Marr said, according to The Cape Breton Post. “He’s the one who got walked on, laughed at and videotaped. And everyone thinks it’s funny.

“And nobody wants to do anything about it — they think it’s stupid that we walked out of the school for him and nobody else did it but the people who actually care. It’s a sin.”

Julia White, another student at Glace Bay High School, told CBC that she and a few friends are raising money to buy a video game that Brett had been saving up for. She said the group of students are aiming to “let him know that we are here for him and he’s not alone.”

McEachern told GlobalNews that she hopes some good can come from the situation.

“This has got to stop somewhere,” McEachern said, according to the outlet. “Whether it’s with kids with or without a disability.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2018 at 1:40 PM.