A young boy has just woken up from an induced coma after being punched in the schoolyard during a football match and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Jayden Pham, seven, was put into a coma due to a brain haemorrhage after he was hit multiple times in the head by another student at St John Vianney’s Primary School in Mulgrave, Melbourne, on October 17.
Jayden spent the next four days suffering from headaches and vomiting before his parents rushed him to Monash Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery.
The operation left him with a large scar that runs from the front of his ear, behind his skull and to his forehead.
Jayden’s parents, Paul and Julie Pham, are furious about their son’s horrific ordeal and say the school has not done enough to protect him.
Speaking to 9News outside the hospital where he is in intensive care, Jayden recounted the moment he was attacked.
“He started hitting me in the head and it hurt pretty bad,” Jayden said.
“When the bell rang I stood up and he hit me on the chin and my tooth fell out, it hurt a bit.”
He then claims he had to wait in line after he and a friend sought help from a teacher who was “busy talking.”
The school contacted Jayden’s parents to inform them of the accident and that he had broken a tooth after being hit once.
Mr and Mrs Pham say the school has failed in its role of supervising students.
“The teacher has a duty to protect because we trust the school to protect our children,” Mr Pham said.
Arnold Thomas and Becker senior staff member and parents’ legal counsel Jennifer Lay said she was “concerned about the way the school has handled this situation.”
“These injuries are life-changing and will likely have long-term consequences for him,” she said.
Ms Lay and the parents will claim the school failed to ‘provide appropriate and adequate supervision’ and was aware of the ‘problematic behavior of the child who inflicted the blows’.
Jayden Pham, seven, was put into a coma due to a brain haemorrhage after he was hit multiple times in the head by another student at St John Vianney’s Primary School in Mulgrave, Melbourne, on October 17.
Jayden spent the next four days suffering from headaches and vomiting before his parents rushed him to Monash Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery.
Responding to the allegations, school principal Andrew Mullaly said “the safety of his students is paramount.”
“We take our responsibilities very seriously,” he said in a statement.
‘In line with our clear policies and procedures, no form of bullying or violence is ever acceptable.
‘The health of one of our students has unfortunately deteriorated significantly in the days following an incident between two group 1 students on the playground.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this student and family.”
He said an investigation into the incident revealed Jayden had only been punched once following a dispute over a game of football.
Mr Mullaly also said there was ‘appropriate supervision’ at the time of the incident and Jayden was assessed by a first aid qualified member of staff.
The school then contacted the parents of both Jayden and the other student to inform them of the incident.
“We will continue to provide full support to the family,” Mullaly said
Jayden is expected to leave the hospital in the coming days, a small step on the long road to recovery.