Disabled Girl Comes Home From School With Haircut, Mother Then Learns The Disturbing Truth Why

Today, it is harder and harder to go to school and not be bullied. All too often, the news comes out with a story about bullying that went too far. However, when one mom discovered what her daughter was going through, she did something unusual and turned the horrific event into something light-hearted. All it took was one mother's determination to get everyone involved, including social Together, they are fighting not only for justice for the mother's daughter, but for all who are bullied in school. Most parents have a pretty good idea of how their children look when they go to school. Parents take a mental note of the clothes and extra things their child brings with them. That way, when they get home from school, if the child is missing something, the parent can go to the school and retrieve it, or at the very least, remind their child to bring it home the next day. For Samantha, though, when she sent her daughter off to school one day, she never expected her child would come home missing some of her hair. According to Samantha, her daughter's hair was significantly shorter by inches, and assumed her daughter simply wanted a makeover. Or at the very least, her daughter and her friends did an extreme makeover. Unfortunately, the real reason for Samantha's daughter to come home with shorter hair was Samantha Fleming had a pretty normal life. She, like so many others, lived in the small community of Chattisdale, in the cozy suburb of Derby, England. For the most part, Samantha did her best to take care of her two daughters in Derby. Which many know, Derby isn't the kind of town to make headline news, or any general news for that matter. But all that would change when Samantha gave birth to her third child, Melissa. Shortly after her birth, the doctors realized that Melissa was special, for she had a rare medical condition known as microcephaly. For Samantha, her world was flipped upside down, and she found that most of her time was now focused on her youngest daughter. When Melissa was first brought into this world, the doctors immediately noticed something different about her. They realized quickly that her head was smaller than the average newborn. With this kind of medical condition, the doctors were convinced that Melissa would have some form of brain issues. They were expecting Melissa to have issues with motor, speech, and learning. As Melissa grew, she had to learn how to handle her medical issues, and like any children with this condition, she struggled with her day-to-day life. However, the disability didn't stop her from doing what she wanted to do. She was sharp and caring, but those traits only go so far, and so, when it came time for Melissa to go to school, she was faced with all new issues. People who are born with the rare medical condition of microcephaly don't just struggle with intellectual challenges, but some also have self-esteem issues due to having a small head. They are often placed in special education classes which help the child grow and mature to the best of their abilities. But self-esteem aside, many with microcephaly also will struggle with a speech impediment, unusual facial features, and poor motor skills. Another side effect is also dwarfism. All these issues were stacked against Melissa as she started her education. Unfortunately, though, the people Melissa went to school with were not the best company to keep. Due to her condition, Melissa was a target for the bullies of the school. When Samantha spoke with Derby Telegraph about her daughter and dealing with microcephaly, she stated how hard it was for Melissa. After all, Melissa's brain isn't wired the same way a normal child's brain is. Melissa's wires are crossed, and that affects the way she talks, learns, and even listens. Just six months ago, Melissa was struggling to put sentences and phrases together due to her disability. On top of not being able to speak properly, Melissa has a hard time hearing what is being said to her. According to Samantha, this causes Melissa's behavior to shift. Of course, it is quite frustrating for Melissa when she knows what she wants but can't communicate properly to get it. But Melissa's problems were about to get much worse. Samantha didn't want Melissa's condition to hold her back, and neither did Melissa. Melissa was ready to take on the world and start school like any other girl her age. So, Melissa donned her backpack and went out to conquer Cherry Tree Hill Primary School and started in kindergarten. Most would think that kindergarten is a carefree time. You're not graded by work done, but rather attitude and confidence. This time is supposed to be one of the more carefree times in a student's academic life. But for Melissa, it ended up being the most difficult. For Samantha, she started seeing the signs that things were not going well with her daughter. Not only was Melissa coming home discouraged, but her outer appearance started to look very different from what she looked like when she went off to school. On Melissa's first day of school, her hair was extremely long. Unfortunately though, every day she went to school, her hair got shorter and shorter. Little did the teachers of the facility realize is that each day, bullies in Melissa's class were snipping her hair little by little during class time. When Samantha found out what was going on, she did what any decent mother would do. She went straight to the school principal and gave him a piece of her mind. Yet, despite the valiant efforts to get the bullying to stop, her daughter's hair continued to be snipped away, and it just escalated the situation to unimaginable heights. Soon, the quiet little town of Derby, England, was thrust into the spotlight. No parents like to see their child suffering or in pain, nor do they want to learn how their child is the center of humiliation and torment. It hurts to think that maybe your child doesn't have any friends or is alone, but to think about what other children say to your child is heartbreaking. Bullying is not a fun experience, it is hurtful, and for Samantha, her imagination was getting wild with concern for her daughter's well-being. She knew Melissa was being bullied, but she didn't know how to stop it. But Samantha wasn't giving up without a fight, and she wasn't going to take the staff members of the school at their word. She was going to put her foot down and stand up for her daughter one way or another. It's not surprising that Samantha went off on the teachers at Melissa's school. After all, if your daughter came home with her hair chopped off, you'd be mad too. Unfortunately, though, when Samantha first brought up the issue to the teachers, she was told they would keep an eye out. Samantha also stated how the teachers went to explain the purpose of scissors and the dangers of using them, but that did little to stop the children from taking more inches off Melissa's hair. When it happened again, Samantha took her concerns to the head teacher, and still the issue continued. The issue wouldn't be so traumatic if it weren't for Melissa's condition. You see, due to Melissa having microcephaly, her hair doesn't grow at a normal rate. In fact, it grows much slower than the average kid's. When the whole situation began, Samantha stated how Melissa's hair was halfway down her back. But little by little, it was snipped away, and nothing has been done about it. As Samantha continued to stress over her daughter being bullied, nothing was being done at the school to stop it. The sad thing is, Samantha had to sit Melissa down each time she came home with shorter hair in order to correct the jagged edges. This resulted in Melissa losing even more hair. For Samantha, she believes her daughter is being targeted due to her medical condition. As Samantha sees it, her daughter is an easy target for any kid who wants to be a bully. Melissa is slow to understand and is smaller than the other kids. Not to mention, she's behind in her mental development and just starting to form sentences. So, Melissa can't tell the other kids to stop. According to Samantha, she told the Derby Telegraph how she feels that her daughter has fallen into the wrong crowd, how Melissa doesn't understand right from wrong just yet and how her supposed friends aren't good company to keep. Samantha has gone several times to the school and even offered them a way to stop this from happening again. But the school ignored Samantha's proposal and her pleas to stop the kids from bullying her daughter. Samantha didn't take long to come up with a solution to her daughter's issue. In fact, when she had the bright idea to have the teachers collect the scissors from the students after the lesson, she was shot down without another word. To Samantha, she believed by restricting the use of scissors, her daughter wouldn't come home with shorter and shorter hair. But the school officials didn't pay any attention to what she had to say. In the school's opinion, the students needed the scissors for their activities. Still, it seems that the teachers were just being lazy and didn't want to go the extra mile to help Samantha out. As Samantha's frustration rose higher and higher, she soon realized she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. After all, the school wasn't doing anything to help her or stop the bullying. It was clear to Samantha that the teachers were turning a blind eye to the issue. Samantha stated how one day, when she went to pick up her daughter, she noticed her hair was significantly shorter. Samantha did what any good mother would do and marched back into the school to prove to them what was happening to her daughter. But the school's reaction wasn't what Samantha was expecting. When the school decided to finally show some stance on bullying, they ended up mocking the distressed mother. After Samantha demanded that the school do something to prevent the bullying, the school released a statement that was nothing more than sugarcoating the situation. According to the school's statement, bullying is a serious situation and how Cherry Tree Hill Primary School takes all alleged bullying seriously. They also went on to say how they investigate all instances of bullying. However, for Samantha, their statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Not only did the school lie about taking control of the situation, but they also stated how it was the parents' obligations to stop such things from taking place. The fact that the school basically said that parents should teach children not to bully didn't sit well with Samantha. Samantha wanted more than just the school passing the buck. She wanted results. Although the school made absolutely sure to express how concerned they were about bullying, they completely missed the point. Samantha wanted them to do something about what was happening to her daughter. But it was starting to seem like Cherry Tree Hill Primary School, the school may have said all the right things in front of the press, but when it came to Melissa and Samantha's issue, they ignored what was happening. The school went against their policy to provide high-quality education and to preserve the safety of the kids under their care. It seems that the school needed to do a better job at upholding their promises to the children under their care. For many teachers, their job isn't just to educate the class or hand out stuff to go home. They are there to ensure that each child feels protected and, when needed, corrects the child under their care. You'd think that a teacher who found a student harassing and snipping another child's hair would merit some kind of corrections. Instead, Melissa's teacher failed her. The teacher allowed Melissa to have her hair chopped not once, but six times within eight months. According to Samantha, those bullies or bully should have been expelled or suspended for their behavior. Unfortunately for Samantha and Melissa, the children cutting Melissa's hair got away scot-free. It's no surprise that when Samantha and Melissa's story got out, people were shocked. They couldn't believe that the Cherry Tree Hill Primary School would ignore the bullying. With one voice, social media cried out in justice. For many on social media, they could relate to Melissa. They remembered what it was like being bullied as a child and decided to stand up for her. Many of the responses came after the Derby Telegraph published Samantha's interview. The comments section became flooded with people sticking up for Melissa and Samantha's plight. Some people commented helpful solutions to Samantha's issues, while others ranted and raved on the comments section. There was no doubt that seeing all these other responses was a positive thing for Melissa to repair her damaged self-esteem. According to one of the online comments, it stated how the teacher no doubt saw what was taking place but was too lazy to care. It went on to suggest those who cut Melissa's hair and those who stood by and watched should have their heads shaved just to see how it feels. For some people online, they didn't sugarcoat their feelings about what was happening to Melissa. One comment stated how they would have gone nuclear on the school and possibly ended up in jail. Another online comment agreed with Samantha, stating how it was ludicrous how the teachers couldn't collect the scissors after the class used them. How if her children were still in school, she too would probably go to jail over taking a stand for her children. It seems more and more people were backing up Samantha and shaming the school for their neglect. Not all comments though sided with Samantha and Melissa. One person actually blamed Samantha for not doing something more to protect her daughter. The comment simply stated how Samantha should have removed Melissa from the class or even the school and brought her into a safer environment. It's possible that Samantha didn't put Melissa into the proper classroom for her condition. However, bullying is bullying and it shouldn't have taken place no matter what classroom Melissa was in. But according to the commenter, every parent has a responsibility to their child to provide a safe learning environment. The comments for Samantha and Melissa's issue continued on social media. The commenter, who explained that Samantha should have pulled Melissa out after the second incident, went on to state how children need guidance, how peer pressure and ignorance will result in poor behavior. It also stated how Melissa should have been placed with children like herself. But the commenter also stated how there should have been consequences for the student's behavior. It went on to say how hopefully, Melissa is in a better placed classroom and that her life has calmed down a bit now that she is out of her stressful situation. The issue with Samantha and Melissa blew up far more than Samantha ever expected. She was both thrilled and relieved to see so many people backing her up in her decision to stand up to bullying. There were even some people who told her she should sue the school. Of course, there were others who wanted justice and an eye for an eye. These people stated how those who cut Melissa's hair should be expelled. Also, the teacher who allowed these incidents to happen should be fired due to poor attention to the students. The commenters went on to compare carving names into desks to the same form of vandalism to that of cutting someone's hair. It's no surprise that bullying has become a major issue all around the globe and has come under serious scrutiny. Once it was just a rite of passage, but it seems that the bullies have become meaner and more violent than ever before. Today, lives are ruined and families are torn all due to bullies getting their way. Then you have the folks at Melissa's school who brush off the incident like it's no big deal. It is turning a blind eye that causes more kids like Melissa to be picked on, but if it's ever going to stop, we need to step up and take action. No doubt, a lot of people sympathized with Melissa and Samantha due to similar experiences and a lot of people stepped up to help in any way they could. From voicing their opinions on what should happen to those responsible to sending kind words to Samantha and Melissa, it seems the story touched a lot of lives. However, one thing is clear. Something big needs to be done about those who did the snipping and those who let it happen. According to one commenter, what happened was a disgrace and how people need to take responsibility for their actions no matter their age. Everyone involved with Melissa and Samantha's issue wanted justice served. It didn't matter if it was those following the story online or those going through it. Rants continued on social media in hopes that their voices would be heard and something drastic done. Bottom line is that what happened to Melissa was wrong and that she needed to know that this wasn't okay. That she had people in her corner supporting her and bashing the education system for turning a blind eye to the bullying. The impact of the event has caused Melissa to be a bit hesitant to go to school these days. According to Samantha, when speaking with The Sun, she has been told it was all due to her bad parenting. However, Melissa still struggles every day to go to school, fearful of what may happen to her. The impact of this event has not only caused her to lose bits of her hair, but bits of her self-esteem and self-confidence as well. Hopefully, one day, Melissa will push through this and be excited once again to get an education. After so much publicity, a lot of people from all around the globe know what is happening in Derby, England, and they're all rooting for the little girl. As for Samantha, she continues to keep a watchful eye on her daughter and encourages her every day to face her fears. Luckily though, Melissa's mother spotted the early signs of bullying and didn't back down. Samantha stuck by Melissa to ensure Melissa knew she was not alone, and that has made a world of difference.