Pocono News Section

Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser for Sam Brown Saturday

Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser for Sam Brown Saturday - Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:51PM EST

Reported by: Eyewitness News
Friday, Jan 29, 2010 @ 05:51pm EST
South Centre Township-

A team dodgeball tournament is planned Jan. 30 to raise money for the Sam Brown Fund.

Sam is the 12-year-old Central Columbia Middle School student who was left partially paralyzed after being attacked by another boy at school, his family says.

The tournament, sponsored by Bloom Health & Fitness, will begin at 10:30 a. m. at the Central Columbia High School gym.

Eyewitness News reporter Jeremy Deebel will be playing in the tournament. He invites everyone to stop by and check it out.

(Here's the story about what happened to Sam from Press Enterprise reporter Gary Pang)

SOUTH CENTRE TWP. - A bully slammed Samuel Brown into a wall at Central Columbia Middle School last fall, leaving him unable to walk, his family says. The same boy had been hounding Sam, 12, for three years, say relatives, who accused Central of failing to put a stop to it.

When Sam's mother complained two years ago, the school put the boys in separate classes, family members say. But the two had a gym class together in September, giving the bully a chance to taunt and shove Sam, they add. The incident happened Sept. 23.

Doctors treated Sam for back injuries. But on Oct. 19 he began to scream in pain and was rushed to Geisinger in Danville. Surgeons operated on a mass that had developed in his upper back, family members say. Now the boy is in rehabilitation in a Bethlehem hospital, partially paralyzed.

The family blames his paralysis on the incident at the school. South Centre Township Police Chief Bill Richendrfer said he is trying to determine whether Sam's condition resulted from the incident or whether he had a previous medical condition.

The bully is still at school, bragging about what he did to Sam and picking on other students, said Karen Kitsmiller, Sam's aunt.

Central officials would not comment, citing confidentiality rules. No one would identify the bully.

The bully started picking on Sam in fourth grade, said Doreen Russ, Sam's grandmother. But the problem died down when the two were separated in fifth grade, Kitsmiller added. Now in seventh grade, the boys had a gym class together outside last fall, according to Kitsmiller.

On Sept. 23, trouble flared up. The bully called Sam "queer," and Sam retorted, "If I'm queer, you're gay," said Kitsmiller.

The bully chased Sam toward the middle school and slammed him into a brick wall, Kitsmiller said. Sam fled into a locker room, where another boy caught him. The bully and the other boy each pushed Sam into a locker once, Kitsmiller said. The bully followed Sam into a hallway and pushed him into a wall again, she said.

Sam did not say anything to school officials, but his parents reported it, Kitsmiller said. Sam's family has heard complaints about the bully from classmates and their parents, Kitsmiller said.

The boy claims his brother is a New York City gang member, she said. A guidance counselor told one unhappy parent to be patient with the boy because he comes from a broken home, Kitsmiller said.

Sam's parents are divorced, but he doesn't bully other children, argued Kitsmiller, a Berwick native who now lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kitsmiller said her nephew is a small boy, weighing 74 pounds. He is quiet and keeps to himself, added Russ.

Sam's father, Edward Brown of Nescopeck, filed a police report in late October, said Chief Richendrfer. The chief said he has not interviewed Sam yet because the boy is undergoing physical therapy in Bethlehem.

Brown and Sam's mother, Cheri Roquet of the Bloomsburg area, declined to discuss the matter on their lawyer's advice, referring questions to other family members: Russ, who is Roquet's mother, and Kitsmiller, who is Edward Brown's sister.

Central Superintendent Harry Mathias said he cannot comment on specific students due to federal confidentiality laws.

Speaking in general, Mathias said that if an employee did not report or deal with bullying, "that would be a major problem." Central would at least reprimand the employee or assign the person to take further training on the issue, Mathias said.

If a Central student is guilty of bullying, he is subject to punishments such as parental conference, detention or suspension, according to school board policies. More severe punishments include expulsion or "referral to law enforcement officials," policies show.