In 2015, a 6-year-old boy from Grants Pass, Oregon, was late for school. Hunter’s mother, Nicole, knew that his family would likely have to go to detention because of automobile issues.
As a result, Nicole paid a visit to his school during lunch. She merely wanted to check in on him to see how he was, but she got much more than she bargained for.
Rather than seeing Hunter in detention, Nicole witnessed her son being subjected to what many would consider a public humiliation.
It suffices to say that she was dissatisfied.
To make matters worse, the family car broke down just as Nicole was about to drop off her son Hunter at school. Nicole was already in a bad mood.
Nicole tried everything she could to get her son across the street to Lincoln Elementary School because taking the bus wasn’t an option; yet, he arrived a few minutes late.
Hunter burst inside the building in sobs, knowing he would be detained. Nicole felt deeply sorry for everything, but she decided to pay him a visit at lunchtime to check how he was doing and, if possible, cheer him up.
“Hunter isn’t always on time, but most of the time it’s not his fault. Nicole has osteoporosis, which makes it difficult for her to function, especially in the morning.”
Nicole arrived at the school and found Hunter sitting alone. Her child’s isolation from the other pupils at school astounded her.
A white border in front of the 6-year-seat old’s prevented him from seeing or talking to other youngsters.
In addition, a cup with the letter “D” on it was placed in front of him (for detention), and Hunter was sitting there sobbing.
Hunter’s public rejection and humiliation destroyed the mother’s heart.
Nicole, like any mother, was shocked by how her child had been treated at school. The penalty appeared to be far too severe.
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; 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 were surprised.
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, Grants Pass, and 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 ensure Hunter got to school on time, Hunter’s story changed how 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!
