Student’s fractured neck sparks bullying conversation at an Ohio school district once again

FAIRFIELD TWP, Ohio — Parents in an Ohio School district are once again demanding a comprehensive solution for bullying after a student’s neck was fractured.

The conversation sparked from a social media post by Jennifer Mangat, announcing that her son Braylon Kline suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck in an altercation with another student during gun class last Tuesday, our news partners at WCPO reported.

Kline is a student at Creekside Middle School in the Fairfield City School District. He said he angered another student by throwing a dodgeball at him during an unstructured play period and the student shoved him into a wall.

“I passed out for a bit, and then some friends helped me up,” Kline said.

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Kline then told substitute teacher Jason Evans, who agreed to let him see the school nurse.

Magnat said they took Kline to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where they learned he had fractured the T1 vertebrae in his neck and cut and bruised his back.

“He went like that and pushed me hard into the wall. Instead of going nose first, I went head first. I turned around, and my back slammed into a metal chair as I went down to the floor,” Kline said.

Magnat said her son and his twin brother have been constantly bullied during their three years at Creekside Middle School, and claims Kline was bullied for wearing a neck brace when he returned to school on Wednesday.

“Things keep happening and happening, and it’s caused this injury, and it can’t be reversed,” Magnat said.

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A Fairfield City School District representative declined to comment on specific discipline issues within the school but issued a statement saying the school district takes every allegation of bullying seriously.

“In regard to how the district responds to bullying, bullying behavior by any student/school personnel is strictly prohibited in our school district. As a result, any bullying allegation brought forward is taken seriously and investigated. As a district, we continue to take advantage of opportunities to educate our students about harassment and bullying in an attempt to reduce or eliminate unacceptable and or harmful behaviors,” the statement read, in part.

The Substitute teacher, Evans, said he’d been fired by the district and accepted accountability for the injuries Kline suffered.

“It was under my supervision. I have to be held accountable, and I accept that. It’s fair,” Evans said.

Evans joined Kline’s parents in calling for the district to do more to prevent bullying as a whole, however saying he was bullied himself when he rose through the Fairfield School District.

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He also said he was classmates with Emilie Olsen, whose family said bullying led to her 2014 suicide.

“It’s just an ongoing problem that, it’s like everyone knows about, but no one wants to talk about,” Evans said.

Evans said he agreed to an interview because he hoped that increased transparency within the district would help lead to a reduction in bullying within the district.

Kline’s step dad Matthew Stubbs called for the district to find a solution to the problem before something even worse happens to his son or others.

“If it doesn’t get addressed, more and more kids are going to get more than hurt,” Stubbs said. “I hate to say it that way, but more parents are going to be burying their kids.”

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