Michigan Father Says School Failed to Act After Daughter Bullied, Threatened With Knife

MERRILL, Mich. – A Saginaw County father says his second-grade daughter endured repeated bullying and even a knife threat at Merrill Elementary, and that school leaders failed to notify him about the incidents until weeks later.

Norm Davis, who has three children in the district, told me his 7-year-old daughter was first attacked on the playground in early September. “He pushed her down, started choking her, and then once she got up, he kicked her in the chest,” Davis said.

According to Davis, two more incidents followed. In one case, the same boy allegedly pushed his daughter down again and ground his shoe into her hand. But the most alarming episode came when the child allegedly brought a pocketknife to school, brandished it, and told Davis’s daughter he was going to kill her.

Davis said staff confiscated the knife but never called him that day. “They knew about it, but they didn’t tell me. As a dad, I was furious,” he said. “Parents should be notified right away when their child is threatened.”

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He added that it was only after teachers quietly alerted him out of concern that he learned the full scope of what had happened. “They’re scared of the higher-ups,” Davis said. “They didn’t want their names attached, but they didn’t want my daughter to get hurt again.”

Davis claims the district told him the boy was suspended for 10 days, but no one will confirm whether he has been expelled. “The superintendent told me there’s no return date for him, but I don’t know more than that,” Davis said.

The father has since filed his own police report after learning no formal record had been made. He said he was initially told by authorities that “boys will be boys” and prosecutors were unlikely to pursue charges.

Despite his frustration, Davis emphasized that he doesn’t want the boy written off. “I believe he can be a good kid if he gets help,” he said. “But my daughter’s safety – and every child’s safety – has to come first.”

He has called for the district to update its policies, which he says cite state law dating back to 1995 requiring immediate expulsion for students who bring weapons to school0

Davis said he will continue speaking out, both to protect his daughter and to encourage other parents not to remain silent. “Our children should be able to go to school safely,” he said. “If I just pull my daughter out, he’ll find another victim. Something has to change.”

Merrill Community Schools has not yet responded to request for comment.