Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VICTORIA, Texas — A Texas father is picketing his son's middle school after his son was suspended for standing up to alleged bully.
Randy Duke, recently home from training police officers in Afghanistan, spends two hours a day outside Cade Middle School in Victoria, Texas, with a sign that says "Bullying victims are punished here."
Duke's son, Max Duke, has been suspended for two days and sent to an alternative school for 30 days after standing up to a fellow student who was allegedly bullying a special needs student.
Duke told KHOU his son has been bullied by the same student for years, but things reached a boiling point when the eighth grader stomped on a paper plane Max had made for the special needs student.
When Max confronted the eighth grader "This guy shoved him," Duke said. "Max had had enough. And that just snapped him, and he shoved back and they started into it."
Duke has been in three meetings in two days with school officials, according to the Victoria Advocate.
"I left one war and came back to another," Duke said. "This is not about this one bully; this is about the school district not standing up and doing something about it."
The school declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy concerns. Max's punishment cannot be appealed, according to district officials, who say they are confident the district's bullying policies are being implemented effectively.