Family in Need of Help - Democratic Underground

AJ9000

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Tue Nov-28-06 05:05 PM
Original message

Family in Need of Help

OK, here’s the situation.

I know a women named Kristi Bowman through a small anti-child abuse forum. She joined after her 5 year old son was beaten by his kindergarten teacher for "disciplinary" reasons (see news story at bottom.) Kristi has since been campaigning in the news media, and in her community, to eliminate “corporal punishment” (child-beating) in Tennessee schools in order to protect all children, not just her own. Anyone who advocates for children’s rights is an exceptional person in my book.

Recently, the Bowman family has had more bad luck.

After having Topaz surgery for a foot ailment, Kristi has developed a vascular problem with her leg. Her doctors are now telling her they may have to amputate if her condition continues to worsen. To make matters worse, she recently suffered a mild stroke after her surgery, and when her husband took a day off from work to care for her, he was fired (That would never happen in Europe.)

Long story short, they're now being buried under an avalanche of bills, and are afraid they won't be able to make any kind of Christmas for their two little ones.

If anyone would like to make a donation to help the Bowman family, here is the info:

Make any checks payable to Kristy Bowman, and send to:

Kristy Bowman
176 Taylor Hills Rd. Apt .1
Dayton,Tennessee 37321

Below is Kristi's story in the local paper if anyone would like to read it:

By: John B. Carpenter
Source: The Herald-News
10-25-2006

'Dayton's Kristy Bowman was upset when her son was paddled at Dayton
City School last month, so she held a rally against corporal
punishment Saturday…and nobody came.

"Kids aren't slaves; they don't need to be hit," Bowman said
Saturday. "It's a form of child abuse. I don't care if it's in the
school or in a home or in church; it's a form of child abuse."

Bowman's 5-year-old son, Jacob, a kindergarten student at DCS,
received a paddling on Sept. 22, in accordance with school policy,
for shooting corn through a straw in the cafeteria after being warned
not to.

Bowman insists that when she enrolled her son at DCS this summer she
wasn't told about the school's policy on corporal punishment and
insists she never received any written notification. According to the
school's policy, parents must notify the school in writing if they do
not want their child to be paddled.

She said her son told her about the paddling when she picked him up
from school that day and she found a quarter-sized bruise on his
buttocks that evening.

"I'm just outrageous that any parent would allow corporal punishment
to be done on their kids at school," Bowman said. "It's sickening
that anyone is able to hit another person's kid."

Bowman said she has contacted several anti-paddling groups across the
country. She also said she contacted Congressman Zach Wamp and that
he had agreed to introduce legislation to ban corporal punishment,
but Wamp's Washington office said the congressman has no plans to
introduce any such legislation.

Bowman said her son now has nightmares and doesn't like school. She
said he is also now afraid of straws. She said she plans to take him
to a child psychiatrist.

Bowman planned a rally against corporal punishment for Saturday.'

By: John B. Carpenter
Source: The Herald-News
10-25-2006