And it's not just the school who has been trying to work with Cameron, but the community police as well. But while Middleton says they've been trying to get him back in school, she believes that Cameron told mistruths in an attempt to try to graduate without having actually gone to class. She added that she isn't discounting that Cameron may face some level of bullying outside of school, but she is certain that on campus, the children and his teacher treats him like any other student.
Nicole Welch Middleton, Principal, Wesley Upper School
"We have been in partnership with the police who found the same incidents that we find. They were the ones who dealt with the last sexual incident with the girls and everything and they found the same thing. The mother does not want to hear anything about Cameron's behaviour, but she wants to come to the office and have me crucify the other children and when you get the full story you realize the full story, but she doesn't want to hear the full story. She wants to say that Cameron is an angel and everyone is picking on Cameron."
"You saw Cameron and so you see his size? You have heard him speak, you know he has a smart mouth, things like that. So he's not very easy to pick on even if you wanted to."
"Like I told you before he has been included since standard 2. That should have been passed a long time ago. This is not a new student coming into a new school, he has been here. It's the same children that he was with in infants, he's here with now. So for those children to just turn it on and start to bully him and start to do all of that, its appalling to me."
Reporter
"While it would be shocking and surprising of that, isn't it still possible that on the street he is still receiving these type of treatment from the students, just maybe he didn't speak about it, because he was afraid."
Nicole Welch Middleton, Principal, Wesley Upper School
"I could not give you a definitive answer on that, because what they said on the news and it was very clear that it's happening at the school. She said it's happening at the school, so if children are doing it on the streets and its neighbourhood kids, my hands are tied. I really can't do anything about students from Natius or James Garbutt or whichever school is doing it. I can only control my students."
"I know as an educator, simple, fool, big head - whether you are of diverse ability or not. Those are children and even some adults first line of defence. So when he tantalize somebody and they say simple or you fool or something like that, I can believe that maybe that did happen somewhere. Maybe it did happen somewhere, but I am telling you not in that teacher's class. Not on that teacher's watch."
Middleton also explained that Stella Maris has done an evaluation on Cameron, which his mother rejected. She also told us that it would take a lot for him to catch up in order to graduate, but that he has never been sent away from the school.
Today the Ministry of Education sent out a press release saying that they have dispatched officers from the Special Education unit to conduct an initial assessment of the incident and to arrange a special ED sensitization session with the teachers and administrators of the institution. The release also states, quote, "While these reports are distressing, they highlight the need to improve awareness of special education needs among all stakeholders in education and build the capacity of teachers, parents and the Special Ed Unit to support students with special education needs." End quote.
And the National Students' Union of Belize also expressed their concerns about the incident in a press release. They are now calling on the Ministry to investigate the case thoroughly, provide counseling and other forms of support for the student, to conduct sensitivity training for the educators and to develop and implement anti-bullying policies and protocols.
