A 6-year-old child from Grants Pass, Oregon arrived late for school in 2015. Because his family had problems with their vehicle, mom Nicole was aware that young Hunter would probably have to go to detention.
Nicole visited his school during lunch as a result. She only wanted to check on him to see how he was doing, but she got a lot more than she expected.
Nicole observed her son being subjected to what many would consider to be a public humiliation rather than seeing Hunter in custody. It’s sufficient to state that she wasn’t content.
To make matters worse, the family car decided to break down just as Nicole was dropping off her son Hunter at school. Nicole was already in poor condition.
Nicloe did her best to bring her son across the street to Lincoln Elementary School because taking the bus wasn’t an option; yet, he showed up a few minutes late.
Hunter burst into the building in tears, knowing that he would be sent to detention. Nicole was quite sorry about everything, but she made the decision to visit the school around lunch to see how he was doing and, if possible, cheer him up.
“Sometimes Hunter isn’t ready, but most often the tardiness is not his fault. Nicole suffers from osteoporosis, which makes it painful and difficult for her to function, especially in the morning,”
Nicole arrived at the school and discovered Hunter sitting by himself. Her youngster being secluded from the other students in the school astounded her.
A white divider in front of the 6-year-seat old’s prevented him from seeing or speaking with other children.
In addition, a cup with the letter “D” on it was placed in front of him (for detention), and Hunter was sitting there sobbing.
The mother’s heart broke seeing Hunter publically shunned and humiliated.
Like any mother would be, Nicole was horrified by how her kid had been treated by the school. The penalty seemed way too harsh.
Hunter rarely arrived late to school, and he hadn’t arrived late enough that day to make up any work, which made Nicole’s rage all the more intense.
The mother’s eyes could hardly be believed, but she was not going to stand by and do nothing about what had happened to her kid.
Nicole snapped a picture of Hunter as he sat in his cubicle of shame, knowing she had to do something. She later shared it on Facebook, where it soon became viral throughout the neighborhood.
The photographs were posted on Facebook by Hunter’s grandmother, who received over 75,000 shares:
”This is my grandson, Hunter. He’s a little first grader. His momma’s car sometimes doesn’t like to start right up. Sometimes he’s a couple minutes late to school. Yesterday, he was 1 minute late and this is what his momma discovered they do to punish him! They have done this to him 6 times for something that is out of this baby’s control! They make a mockery of him in front of the other students! The principal is responsible for this. His mom found him there, crying, and took him home for the day. Anyone want to help me flood this lady principal with calls telling her how inappropriate this is?”
It appeared that the school’s policy had bullied Hunter.
The school district was flooded with furious calls and the school’s Facebook page was bombarded with bad reviews.
After the pictures went viral, others in Grants Pass wanted to help. They made it their mission to ensure Hunter was never late to school again – strangers had come together to help them with their car problems.
When Hunter’s mom and dad showed up to pick up their car from the repair shop, they got the surprise of their lives.
Nicole and her family turned up at Kelly’s Automotive Service a few days later expecting to be told that their car was beyond fixing. Hunter’s father, Mark Cmelo, fully expected to get more bad news about the car.
But it was quite the opposite.
The auto dealer had joined forces with people in the community to buy them another vehicle and make sure it would be dependable.
Several businesses in Medford, Oregon, and Grants Pass, as well as a local radio host, Bill Meyer, joined forces to chip in.
Nicole and her family was then handed the keys to a Chrysler van.
“You see that minivan sitting right there?” asked Lisa McClease-Kelly of Kelly’s Automotive Service.
Mom Nicole, Hunter, and Bill Meyer at Kelly’s Automotive in Grants Pass via Facebook.
“That’s yours,” she said, as she handed Marc the keys to a Chrysler minivan.
The family was both shocked and moved.
“I’m just blown away to see the community come together like this and see that there’s still good people out there,” said the happy father, Marc.
In addition to receiving a vehicle that would make sure Hunter got to school on time, Hunter’s story changed the way the school handled their detention policies.
They designated a supervised classroom so kids wouldn’t be shamed in front of all their schoolmates.
If you think more people should be made aware of this great gesture and that the school did wrong, please share this article on Facebook!