Byron boy's Special Olympics ribbons taken in bullying incident

A London mother is asking parents to talk to their kids after her son lost his Special Olympics medals in what she says is a playground bullying incident. 

"I don't want to get anybody in trouble, I just want it to stop," said Sara Albert, whose 12-year-old son Xavier attends Grade 6 at Byron Northview Public School. "Maybe parents could talk to their children and explain my son's situation and how this is affecting him."

Xavier is 12 and has an intellectual developmental disability.

Xavier is part of a regular class at Byron Northview and follows an individual education plan tailored to his special needs, his mom said. 

The boy was excited to participate in a Special Olympics day at Western University on Wednesday before being bused back to school about an hour before dismissal time, Albert said.

When she went to pick him up after school, Albert said she immediately noticed something was wrong. 

"He had his head down," she said. "He was visibly upset and crying and holding his back." 

Albert told CBC News Xavier told her he'd been punched in the back in the playground and had his five Special Olympics event ribbons taken. In a Facebook post, she said Xavier won't name the kids who took the ribbons because he fears retribution. 

The Thames Valley District School Board issued a statement in response to questions from CBC News about the incident. 

"School administration is working with the family and continues to investigate the situation," reads the statement attributed to Sheila Builder, superintendent of special education. "In the meantime, the Special Olympic ribbons have been replaced and new ribbons will be given to the family as soon as possible."

Albert posted about the situation to the Byron Neighbours Facebook page. Many parents expressed sympathy. Some were parents of students at the school who said they would speak to their kids about the situation. 

A total of 83 people responded to the post before comments where turned off by the page's administrator.

Albert said part of the reason for going public is to trigger those conversations and increase understanding about the challenges faced by students with special needs. 

"I don't think any child should have to go through this, whether they have developmental problems or not," she said. "But with Xavier it hits harder because he already struggles."