A 14-year-old girl in Sichuan, China is permanently disabled after being given physical punishment in school. The schoolgirl was made to do 150 squats.
According to Global Times, the incident happened last June. When the unsettled dispute between the teen's parents and the school was recently put under the media spotlight, local authorities said they would deal with those responsible.
Teen Forced To Do 150 Squats As Physical Punishment In School
The schoolgirl whose surname is Ren, attends Xianshi Vocational Senior High School in the Hejiang county of Sichuan. Her mother said the incident happened on June 10, 2020, when a teacher and a student leader were inspecting the dormitory.
A packet of snacks was found on the teen's bed which was said to be violating dormitory regulations. Mu, the student leader, then made Ren undergo physical punishment for bringing snacks in a vocational senior high school.
She ordered the 14-year-old to do 300 squats. Ren then tried to deny that the snacks were hers and explained that her foot was injured last April 2020. Despite this, the student leader forced her to carry out 150 squats.
Reports stated that Liu, the girls' teacher who supervised the dormitory, was present the entire time of the incident. He allegedly did not stop the punishment so the teen resumed the squats under the supervision of Liu and Mu.
14-Year-Old Suffers "Irreversible Damage" To Ankle After Physical Punishment In School
The schoolgirl reportedly suffered "irreversible damage" to her left ankle after doing over a hundred squats. Due to this, she will also have to undergo rehabilitation exercises. Ren reportedly needs crutches in order to walk.
Since the incident, the school covered Ren's initial medical costs of about 100,000 yuan. Meanwhile, discussions about the coverage of her subsequent medical procedures and physiotherapy are still ongoing.
On August 13, local authorities have stated that they are working on a mutually agreeable settlement. The principal of the school has since declined to comment on the issue when asked by Chinese media The Paper on September 17.
It was also reported that the 14-year-old girl was found to be "in a state of depression" since the incident after being diagnosed by the Luzhou Medical College Affiliated Hospital.
Along with this, Ren's mother has stated that she has "shut herself off" and has become "short-tempered." The teen has also reportedly attempted to "hurt herself" on a few occasions in 2021.
According to The Paper, the teen's mother has accepted a settlement with the school and received 390,000 yuan in damages.
But the concerned mother stated she was "unsatisfied" with the amount and doubts it could be able to cover her daughter's medical expenses in the future.
Source: Global Times, Mothership
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