I had a student get beat up for no reason and now I feel like I’ve failed him

My school is in a low SES area and we have a lot of behaviors, gangs, bullying, etc. This year I have a student, let’s call him Jimmy, who is a transfer student. He comes from a different part of the city and it’s evident that he has not been in a school with a lot of traumas before. <br><br>Jimmy is a very sweet kid. He has a disability and is considered medically fragile. He has to go to the bathroom a lot and our school bathrooms are disgusting- there’s no stalls, no locks, no clean water to wash your hands, and a lot of times there’s no toilet paper or soap. <br><br><br>Jimmy has been a delight to have in class. He’s very bright and works hard to make sure he gets his work done. He’s only had a few instances of behaviors and they’re always minor. <br><br><br>A few weeks ago Jimmy had to go to the bathroom and I sent him to the bathroom in the classroom next door. The para went with him. He was beat up. And I mean badly beat up. Broken ribs, broken teeth, huge bruises, punctured lung. I’m not sure how long they’ll keep him in the hospital but I imagine it’s going to be a while. <br><br><br>The kids that did it are known to be bullies and have been to several schools. They were expelled and arrested. <br><br>I just feel like I have failed Jimmy so much. I feel like I should have done something. I should have let him go to the bathroom in my room, with me. I should have called him a sub when he asked instead of saying it was ok and sending him with a trusted adult. <br><br><br>Jimmy’s family is devastated. His mom told me that she wants to move to a different state and that this may be Wake Up Call to get out of the city. I don’t blame her. I want to move too. But it hurts to know that this school, and city, has screwed someone over so much and they’re going to leave because of it. I just want Jimmy to be ok.