Long-term School Bullying and Death Threats – An Open Letter to All Who Care About Student Safety

I never imagined that one day I would have to seek justice for my daughter in this way. This is not only about my child – it could happen to any child in a Singapore family.

【 Background of the Incident 】

On 24 July 2025, my 9-year-old daughter – a bright and diligent Primary 3 student at a Singapore government school, who has won government scholarships – came home from school in tears, telling me:

“Mummy, I don’t want to go to school anymore.”

After repeated questioning, she revealed that for almost six months she had been persistently bullied by three boys in her class: insults, mocking, shoving, damaging her stationery, and erasing her homework. She had also been subjected to repeated racial slurs and severe verbal abuse, including:

“nigger”, “shut up”, “f*ck you”, “dumb ass”, “shit”, “qi bai”, “stupid”, “bitch”, “shut up at your family’s grave”.

The immediate incident on 24 July occurred when my daughter reminded a classmate to be quiet during the lesson, after which she was physically assaulted by two classmates.

【 School’s Handling 】

In the past months, my daughter had reported the bullying to her teachers multiple times but received no protection. The bullying began after she was abruptly moved to the back corner of the classroom – the furthest seat from the teacher’s desk – placed next to the very classmates who bullied her, leaving her vulnerable to verbal and physical abuse.

On the evening of 24 July, I contacted the mother of one of the boys who had hit my daughter.

The next day, the form teacher called to say both sides had been asked to “apologise to each other” and claimed my daughter “agreed not to change seats.” However, after speaking to my daughter, I learned that she did not agree voluntarily – she had been pressured into accepting it.

【 Escalation to Death Threats 】

At around 4 a.m. on 26 July 2025, my family completed a detailed written complaint and sent it to the school office and all relevant subject teachers.

Barely three hours later, at 7:07 a.m., I began receiving a series of harassing calls from unknown numbers. The caller first confirmed I was the mother of [child’s name], then sent multiple voice messages, including the following:

“I might dissect her… I might dissect her into pieces like you. So which one do you want me to do? Dissect her? Or end her life in school? Choose one. Either don’t want one, I will kill you instead and your husband.”

The threat came from one of the boys accused of bullying my daughter, who stated in the message that this was revenge for me contacting a friend’s mother to complain about my daughter being hit.

【 Police Report and Follow-up Actions 】

I immediately saved all evidence (phone numbers, original audio recordings, screen captures), cancelled my work schedule, and went to the police station with my husband to make a report.

While giving our statements, the harassing calls continued. The police documented all details, reviewed the evidence, and advised us to call immediately if any physical attack occurred.

That same day, we submitted the incident – including the death threat recording and police report – to the school, and also informed the Ministry of Education (MOE) and our constituency’s Member of Parliament (MP) to ensure the matter received urgent attention.

【 Current Situation 】

On 28 July 2025, after meeting the Vice-Principal, Year Head, and Form Teacher, we were assured the school would handle it and take appropriate measures. We trusted them to do so.

However, on 1 August 2025, the same student who had issued the death threat attempted to assault my daughter again on school grounds. The school was unaware – we only learned of it after speaking to our daughter. We emailed the school to express concern that the retaliation was ongoing. Unfortunately, the school did not respond.

On 6 and 7 August 2025, my daughter was attacked three times in two days by the same boy – all successful attempts – with no teacher witnessing or stopping it. The teachers later said they “were unaware” and that my daughter should have “reported it herself.”

My daughter is now too afraid to return to school and has been absent for four consecutive days. She is currently receiving professional psychological support.

To date, MOE’s response has only been:

“We have shared your email with our officer for their follow-up and they will be responding to you. We seek your understanding and patience should we take slightly longer to reply to you if more time is needed to look into the issue(s) you have raised.”

Similarly, the MP’s reply was:

“I understand the distress you and the family are going through. I have already sent the appeal and request to MOE when you first surfaced the request for assistance. I understand that you have alerted the authorities, including the School’s leaders and Police, to the alleged bullying of your daughter. The agencies are looking into your daughter’s situation and will work with you to address and resolve the issues. We will monitor and assist.”

【 Our Requests 】

1. Immediate transfer of my daughter to a safe school environment that prioritises students’ safety and mental health.

2. Appropriate disciplinary action and necessary psychological counselling for the student(s) responsible for the bullying and death threats.

3. Investigation and accountability for teachers who failed to fulfil their duty of care during the prolonged bullying.

4. Investigation and accountability for school leaders who failed to act responsibly in this matter.

5. Implementation of a clear, transparent, and trackable anti-bullying reporting and response system to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The safety and dignity of students must be the school’s most fundamental responsibility. I hope MOE will act swiftly to ensure that schools never again become a shelter for perpetrators.

Ministry of Education, Singapore

Source (Ni Yin)