A Fayetteville mother says her son’s repeated bullying — including having his hair cut and being struck with a laptop — has left him traumatized.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Cumberland County mother is calling out Max Abbott Middle School after sharing a disturbing Facebook post alleging her 7th-grade son has been repeatedly bullied, attacked, and left traumatized — including having a chunk of his hair cut by another student and being slapped in the face with a school-issued laptop.
Esha, who posted the emotional message online, says her son Shareef has been dealing with what she calls “not average bullying — it’s coming off more as torture.”
Mother Says Son’s Hair Was Cut Without Permission
According to Esha, the bullying escalated this week when a student allegedly grabbed Shareef by the head and cut his Caribbean locs, which she says hold deep cultural and spiritual meaning to their family.
She shared a photo of her son’s hair following the incident, saying the act was humiliating and deeply violating.
“His hair is apart of our spiritual beliefs and for that little boy to just cut my son’s locs is not right at all,” she wrote.
Student Reportedly Hit in the Eye With a Laptop and Did Not Retaliate
The following day, Esha says Shareef was slapped in the eye with a laptop by a different student. Out of fear of being suspended again — she says he was suspended three times earlier this year for attempting to defend himself — he did not retaliate.
“My son did NOTHING after being hit in his eye with a laptop,” she wrote.
“He did not retaliate. He is not a punching bag.”
Mother Claims School Never Notified Her of the Attack
Esha says what made the situation even worse was learning that school officials allegedly did not contact her when the laptop attack happened. She says she only found out after her son came home and told her himself.
“The worst part is I was NOT contacted by the school… I had to find out from him when he came home,” she said.
She claims the only contact she received from the school that day was regarding the haircut incident — not the physical assault.
A History of Bullying and Emotional Distress
Esha says this is not the first time her son has been targeted. She alleges emotional abuse at school have caused Shareef significant distress and fear.
“Last year it was so emotionally abusive to him he didn’t want to go to school,” she said.
“This year he tried to stand up for himself and he was suspended three times.”
She says she has contacted the Cumberland County Board of Education multiple times but feels nothing has changed.
Mother Calls Out School System and Parents of the Alleged Bullies
In her post, she expressed deep frustration with the Cumberland County Schools system and also criticized the parents of the students she says are responsible.
“Parents need to do better,” she said.
“My son will not tolerate your kids’ BS and neither will I.”
Esha ended her post pleading for guidance on how to protect her child from further harm.
“He is very traumatized about the school, students, everything else.”
The NC Beat has reached out to Max Abbott Middle School and Cumberland County Schools for comment.
