Heartbreaking Story of 5-Year-Old Walking Home Alone to Avoid School Bus Bullies

Kenneth Theriot was too terrified to face the bullies on the school bus. Which is why the 5-year-old from Houma, Louisiana, was found wandering alone on the side of the road about a half mile from his school, Legion Park Elementary, on Monday, October 24.

The kindergartner was so desperate to avoid the children who tormented him on the bus that he lied to a substitute teacher and said he had permission to walk home alone, his mother Kathleen Hotard told Us Weekly.

>> Read more: How to Cope With Your Child Being Bullied

“Kids throw spitballs and call him names,” said Hotard of the bullies. “He was pushed and his nose hit the stairs of the bus and he broke his nose.”

Hotard says the school board promised that they are investigating the October 24 incident, but she wants Kenneth transferred to another district where he’ll be safe.

“Legion Park doesn’t seem to take any action,” she says. “We’ve been dealing with this since Kenneth was 4. He’s been shoved in the halls and in the bathroom … and slapped. I’ve gone to the school and reported it so many times trying to get progress made.”

To read the rest of the story, including how Kenneth tried to make an anti-bullying club at school, click here.