A father has taken to TikTok to allege that his nine-year-old son was punched in the face by a schoolmate at River Valley Primary School – but the school says its investigations found the contact was accidental.
The video, posted by user @emceejohnny, has since drawn over 700,000 views and more than 2,400 comments.
Son allegedly punched in the face
In a two-minute clip, the father shared footage of his son – face censored – hugging his mother in what appeared to be a hospital.
He claimed that during recess, his son’s wallet was allegedly snatched by other Primary 3 students while he was eating. When the boy chased after them, one of the students allegedly punched him in the face.
“You snatched my son’s wallet already, he chased you, and you still got the cheek to box him,” the father said.
He added that his son suffered a concussion and felt dizzy after the incident, but claimed that the other students went on to eat his snacks anyway.
‘He could’ve become a vegetable’
In the video, the father also criticised the school for placing the boy in the sick bay instead of immediately calling paramedics.
“You know how serious this is or not, River Valley school teachers and principal?” he said. “He could’ve become a vegetable.”
The father said he later called the police and an ambulance himself, adding that they were at the hospital from 2pm until nearly 7.30pm – when the video was filmed.
“He’s suffering and he’s afraid to go to school now,” he added, showing a photo of the boy’s bruised lip at the end of the video.
“I’m going to get my family lawyer to look into this situation,” he said.
‘In the process of engaging the parents of all students involved’: River Valley Primary School
In response to queries from The New Paper, River Valley Primary School principal Jennifer Pang said the school is aware of an incident involving three Primary 3 students – identified as Students A, B, and C – that took place during recess on Oct 6.
Student B is the alleged victim.
She said the school’s investigations found that one student (Student A) had taken another student’s (Student B) wallet and snacks.
Student B and another classmate (Student C) then chased Student A around the canteen, during which Student C “accidentally hit Student B’s lips with the wallet”.
“Student A did not ‘punch’ Student B, as was alleged by the adult,” Principal Pang wrote.
The school added that it will help the students learn from the incident and work towards a “positive resolution on the matter”.
It is also engaging the parents of all students involved to share what transpired during recess and to support them in monitoring their children’s well-being.
TNP has reached out to @emceejohnny for more information.
