First Nations student assaulted at Steinbach middle school in alleged racist incident

A mother in Steinbach is demanding answers and action after her son had his hair pulled out, suffered a concussion, facial wounds and lost a tooth in an assault at a southeastern Manitoba school last week.

Melissa Johnson says her son, Theo Osborne, 11, was the target of racially motivated bullying and assault at Stonybrook Middle School in Steinbach last Wednesday.

The boy was the target of racial slurs regarding his Indigenous identity, his mother said.

"Theo told me that one boy approached him first and was telling him to cut his hair, it's disgusting, saying 'I bet your parents do effed up rituals at night because your people are so disgusting," Johnson said Tuesday.

Theo's hair is an important part of his identity, Johnson said. About four years ago, Johnson's father asked her and her daughters to grow their hair out until he passed away.

Theo wanted to grow his hair out for his grandfather as well.

"He does take pride in it," Johnson said. "He takes pride in his culture. He dances, he sings, he's just really proud to be Indigenous."

It's heartbreaking his identity has been used against him, she said.

Theo had told Johnson he was being bullied by two boys in December. Johnson says the bullying picked up again after the winter break.

Johnson, who has lived in Steinbach for the past seven years, contacted the principal of Stonybrook Middle School and Theo's teachers to address the bullying, but she says it continued to get worse.

Johnson was devastated when she found out what happened.

"I just cried because I felt so bad that he did everything right," Johnson said, adding she was at work at the time. "He told me ahead of time, he told the teachers and it just didn't really seem to help him in the end."

Theo is shy, but a good brother and helps his grandfather, Johnson said, adding he plays multiple sports and finds ways to get involved in his community,.

However, she says, he has been anxious since the attack.