Weymouth Mother Explains Dangers of Keeping Her Child at Middle School

The Weymouth mother who wants her mentally-ill child taken out of the Abigail Adams Middle School and placed in a specialized school, described the malicious behaviors of her son on Wednesday.

Sethany Griffin of Weymouth said her 12-year-old son is a great kid with a giant heart, but when he gets out of hand, he has assaulted her and her husband,  his own brother, his therapist, and even a police officer who tried to restrain him. 

She said her son has thought up plans to kill his teacher and believes all bullies should be “destroyed.”

The 5 foot 6 inch, 227 pound, sixth grader has been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, bi-polar disorder, and has early signs of schizophrenia. She said he functions at the level of an 8-year-old and has even been hospitalized for his disorders from September 2011 to the end of January 2012 and again for two weeks in January 2013.

“He’s overall a great kid but has some very delusional thinking,” Griffin said. “With his mental illness, he has some delusions that come from a good place , but they can be dangerous to him and others.” 

Griffin is now worried about the safety of other students and teachers at the Adams Middle School.

When Griffin told the school her son’s plans to kill his teacher, which involves “holding her down and kicking and punching her until she is dead,” the administration was in disbelief because he is a great kid.

“He has never been violent in school, however all of the professionals in his life are saying it’s only a matter of time before he is,” she said.  “All we want to do is be proactive and not let that happen.”

Superintendent Kenneth Salim would not comment on the specific case but said the school is committed to ensuring the safety of every student.  The administration has rejected the student’s requests to leave the district and said they can handle the  situation at the middle school.

Griffin says the Weymouth Public Schools special education director has told her that there is no evidence that her son has been psychotic or delusional at school.  The Weymouth mother claims this is inaccurate and says his teacher has reported him hearing voices.

Griffin and her husband are now saving money to hire a lawyer and look to file a suit against the school so that her son can be placed in a specialized school.

She believe the reason Weymouth Public Schools will not transfer him to another school is because of the money it will cost them.

“They say ‘no’ to everyone and just wait until they sue and most of the people who live here can’t afford to sue. ... We’re going to do whatever we can do to hope to hire a lawyer.”