The plight of an Angus bullying victim has been taken to the door of education secretary John Swinney.
The 12-year-old pupil’s mother has told Mr Swinney the law must be changed before a child is killed.
The Arbroath Academy pupil was forced to undergo emergency dental surgery following the violent attack by school bullies.
The boy’s front tooth broke off after he was punched and kicked by his attackers during the onslaught, which was watched by an estimated 100 pupils.
Three pupils were suspended and two were charged by the police following last week’s incident, the latest in a string of high-profile bullying episodes in Angus schools.
The boy’s mother has now written to Mr Swinney and told him the law currently allows offenders far more protection than their victims, which she said was “unacceptable in this day and age”.
She said: “Why should my son or any other child be forced to endure constant torment and violence when they have the right to an education, to be safeguarded and be happy in his adolescence at school.
“The persistent offenders should be removed from school and given their right to education in a specialist setting.”
She said the current maximum suspension limit of 45 days in any one school year was “ludicrous” and wants a change in the law through which persistent offenders can be removed permanently.
Children under 16 who commit offences in Scotland are rarely prosecuted in the criminal courts system. They are referred instead to the children’s hearings system.
The Angus mum wants all criminal charges to be carried forward beyond the age of 16.
She told Mr Swinney: “What will it take for the government to listen and make changes?
“Even child suicide due to bullying hasn’t made any real impact so I wonder if it will take a bully committing murder in school to make a change?
“I am not prepared to sit back and allow my son or any other child to have their life cut short because of bullying.
“The mental health my son suffers at the hands of bullying is heartbreaking.
“Bullying has always been around and won’t ever go away however it’s what we do in between and the changes we make during the time our children are at school.
“Views of parents police and teachers alike all support changing the law and classing bullying as a criminal offence and making the consequences so severe that it deters future children from offending.”
The boy will now require dental work every six months until he reaches adulthood because implants aren’t recommended for use until after the late teenage years.
The pupils that were charged by police will be dealt with by the youth justice agency.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said bullying of any kind was unacceptable.
She said: “Our national ‘Respect for All’ strategy makes clear preventing and responding to bullying is not just the responsibility of schools but also adults involved in the lives of children and young people.
“We have strengthened guidance on types of bullying, supported by improved arrangements for recording and monitoring incidents to inform early intervention and appropriate support.
“The guidance also makes clear that when incidents are more serious, and involve behaviour which would be considered criminal, they should be reported to the police.
“The Procurator Fiscal and the Children’s Reporter will decide where the case is best dealt with.”
